Peter Hennessy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield
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Peter Hennessy in 2019
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 25 November 2010 Life Peerage |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 March 1947 Edmonton, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | None (crossbencher) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education |
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| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Historian and academic; formerly journalist |
| Profession | Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History |
| Awards |
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Peter John Hennessy, Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield, born on March 28, 1947, is a well-known English historian and professor. He is an expert in the history of how the British government works. Since 1992, he has been a special professor of modern British history at Queen Mary University of London.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Peter Hennessy was born in Edmonton, a part of north London. His parents were William Gerald Hennessy and Edith Wood-Johnson. He grew up in a large Catholic family with Irish roots. His family lived in big houses in north London that were rented by the local council.
He went to Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School. On Sundays, he was an altar boy at St Mary Magdalene Church. He even talked about his childhood on a BBC Radio 4 show called The House I Grew Up In in 2007.
Peter first went to St Benedict's School, Ealing in west London. When his father's job moved the family to the Cotswolds, he attended Marling School in Stroud, Gloucestershire. He then went to St John's College, Cambridge, where he earned his first degree in 1969 and a PhD in 1990. He also studied in America at Harvard University from 1971 to 1972.
Career in Journalism and Academia
Starting as a Journalist
Peter Hennessy began his career as a journalist. From 1972 to 1974, he wrote for the Times Higher Education Supplement. He then worked for The Times newspaper from 1974 to 1982, writing important articles and reporting on government offices in Whitehall. In 1976, he was a reporter covering the UK Parliament for The Financial Times.
He also wrote for The Economist in 1982. From 1987 to 1992, he was a regular host of the radio show Analysis on BBC Radio 4. He has continued to appear on radio, including an interview on BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House in 2022. During this interview, he shared his thoughts on a serious political situation involving the Prime Minister.
Becoming a Professor
In 1986, Peter Hennessy helped start the Institute of Contemporary British History. He became a professor of modern history at Queen Mary, University of London in 1992, a role he held until 2000. He also gave public lectures as a Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College in London from 1994 to 1997. Since 2001, he has been the Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary, University of London.
His book, Never Again: Britain 1945–1951, which looks at Britain after World War II, won the Duff Cooper Prize in 1992 and the NCR Book Award in 1993. Another one of his books, Having It So Good: Britain in the 1950s, won the Orwell Prize for political writing in 2007. This book explored Britain in the 1950s and the rise of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.
Joining the House of Lords
On October 5, 2010, Peter Hennessy was chosen to become a non-political member of the House of Lords. This is a special part of the UK Parliament. He officially became a life peer on November 8, 2010, with the title Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield. He was formally introduced to the House of Lords on November 25.
When he heard the news, Lord Hennessy said he was "terribly pleased and honoured." He hoped to help the House of Lords with important matters about the country's rules and laws. In 2014, he was one of many public figures who signed a letter against Scottish independence before a public vote.
Personal Life
Peter Hennessy is married to Enid and they have two daughters. They live in London. In 2019, he shared that he had early-stage Parkinson's disease. In May 2023, he was a guest on the popular BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs.
See also
- Gresham Professor of Rhetoric
