Robert Rhodes James
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Vidal Rhodes James (10 April 1933–20 May 1999) was a British
historian and Conservative
Member of Parliament
. He was born in India and began his education in private schools there, returning to England to attend Sedbergh School
and then Worcester College, Oxford.
He wrote his first book, a much-acclaimed biography of Lord Randolph Churchill
, in 1959 whilst working as a Clerk of the House of Commons, the equivalent of parliament's own internal civil service. He was a Clerk between 1955 and 1964, being promoted to Senior Clerk in 1961. He won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
for his next book, An Introduction to the House of Commons. His following two books, a biography of Rosebery
, and a reappraisal of the Gallipoli
campaign, resulted in his being made a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
, where he engaged in full-time research on the papers of J.C.C. Davidson between 1965 and 1968. He then became Director of the Institute for the Study of International Organisation at the University of Sussex
from 1968 to 1973, before working as Principal Officer in the Executive Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kurt Waldheim
. In 1970 he wrote a particularly influential revisionist biography of Winston Churchill
for the years 1900-1939, arguing that there were substantial reasons why Churchill's judgement was questioned by his contemporaries. He also edited the definitive edition of Churchill's speeches, in eight volumes.
He was elected to the House of Commons at a by-election
in 1976 for the marginal seat of Cambridge
, and held that seat until his retirement at the 1992 general election
, despite a strong Social Democratic Party
challenge in the seat in the 1983
and 1987 general elections
. The seat was finally lost to Labour
when he stood down. A self-described moderate, 'One Nation' Tory, his views found little favour with Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher
, and he came to resent his lack of promotion in parliament, never progressing beyond being PPS at the Foreign Office
, and dubbing his own political career "A study in failure", borrowing the subtitle of his Churchill biography. During his time in parliament, he wrote two further highly-praised biographies, both of them 'official' works with exclusive access to private papers - a sympathetic biography of the Prime Minister Anthony Eden
, and an account of the life of the maverick backbencher
Robert Boothby
. He was knighted in 1991 and after he stood down from parliament the following year, he lobbied unsuccessfully for a peerage, and held several visiting professorships at American universities. He died in 1999.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
historian and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. He was born in India and began his education in private schools there, returning to England to attend Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School
Sedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.-Background:...
and then Worcester College, Oxford.
He wrote his first book, a much-acclaimed biography of Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill MP was a British statesman. He was the third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and his wife Lady Frances Anne Emily Vane , daughter of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry...
, in 1959 whilst working as a Clerk of the House of Commons, the equivalent of parliament's own internal civil service. He was a Clerk between 1955 and 1964, being promoted to Senior Clerk in 1961. He won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom...
for his next book, An Introduction to the House of Commons. His following two books, a biography of Rosebery
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl, in 1868, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.Rosebery was a Liberal Imperialist who...
, and a reappraisal of the Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
campaign, resulted in his being made a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
, where he engaged in full-time research on the papers of J.C.C. Davidson between 1965 and 1968. He then became Director of the Institute for the Study of International Organisation at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
from 1968 to 1973, before working as Principal Officer in the Executive Office of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
. In 1970 he wrote a particularly influential revisionist biography of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
for the years 1900-1939, arguing that there were substantial reasons why Churchill's judgement was questioned by his contemporaries. He also edited the definitive edition of Churchill's speeches, in eight volumes.
He was elected to the House of Commons at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in 1976 for the marginal seat of Cambridge
Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridge is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system....
, and held that seat until his retirement at the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, despite a strong Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
challenge in the seat in the 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
and 1987 general elections
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
. The seat was finally lost to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
when he stood down. A self-described moderate, 'One Nation' Tory, his views found little favour with Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, and he came to resent his lack of promotion in parliament, never progressing beyond being PPS at the Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
, and dubbing his own political career "A study in failure", borrowing the subtitle of his Churchill biography. During his time in parliament, he wrote two further highly-praised biographies, both of them 'official' works with exclusive access to private papers - a sympathetic biography of the Prime Minister Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, and an account of the life of the maverick backbencher
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
Robert Boothby
Robert Boothby
Robert John Graham Boothby, Baron Boothby, KBE was a controversial British Conservative politician.-Early life:...
. He was knighted in 1991 and after he stood down from parliament the following year, he lobbied unsuccessfully for a peerage, and held several visiting professorships at American universities. He died in 1999.
Works
- Lord Randolph Churchill (1959)
- Introduction to the House of Commons (1961)
- Rosebery, ABiography of Archibald Philip, Fifth Earl of Rosebery (1964)
- Gallipoli (1965)
- (ed.) Chips: The Diaries of Sir Henry ChannonHenry ChannonSir Henry "Chips" Channon was an American-born British Conservative politician, author and diarist. Channon moved to England in 1920 and became strongly anti-American, feeling that American cultural and economic views threatened traditional European and British civilisation. He wrote extensively...
(1967, edited by) - Standardization and Common Production of Weapons in NATO (1967)
- Suez Ten Years After (1967, contributor)
- Essays from Divers Hands (1967, contributor)
- Memoirs of a Conservative: J. C. C. Davidson's memoirs and papers, 1910-37 (1969, edited by)
- (ed.) Churchill: Four Faces and the Man (1969]], contributor)
- Churchill: A Study in Failure, 1900-1939 (1970)
- Staffing the United Nations Secretariat (1970)
- United Nations (1970)
- International Administration (1971, contributor)
- Ambitions and Realities; British Politics, 1964-70 (1972)
- (ed.) Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches 1897-1963 (1974, edited by, and in eight volumes)
- The Prime Ministers, volume II (1975, contributor)
- The British Revolution: British Politics, 1880-1939 (1976, originally published in two volumes, later reprinted as one volume)
- Victor Cazalet: A Portrait (1976)
- Britain's Role in the United Nations (1977)
- Albert, Prince Consort: A Biography (1983)
- Anthony Eden (1986)
- Robert Boothby: A Portrait of Churchill's Ally (1991)
- Henry Wellcome (1994)
- A Spirit Undaunted: the political role of George VI (1998)
Trivia
Robert Rhodes James was the nephew of the M. R. James noted as an author of ghost stories.External links
- Obituary, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, May 22, 1999. - Obituary, The Old SedberghSedbergh SchoolSedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.-Background:...
Club, May 1999. - Obituary, Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, July 1999.