Colin Matthew | |
|---|---|
| Born | Henry Colin Gray Matthew (1941-01-15)15 January 1941 Inverness, Scotland |
| Died | 29 October 1999(1999-10-29) (aged 58) Oxford, England |
| Occupation(s) | Historian and academic |
| Spouse | Sue Ann Curry |
| Awards | Wolfson History Prize |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Edinburgh Academy Sedbergh School |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | History |
| Sub-discipline | |
| Institutions | Christ Church, Oxford St Hugh's College, Oxford |
Henry Colin Gray MatthewFRHistS (15 January 1941 – 29 October 1999) was a British historian and academic. He was an editor of theOxford Dictionary of National Biography and editor of the diaries ofWilliam Ewart Gladstone.[1]
Matthew was born inInverness on 15 January 1941. He was educated atEdinburgh Academy and later at the Englishpublic school,Sedbergh. He proceeded toChrist Church in theUniversity of Oxford in 1960 to read Modern History. He graduatedBachelor of Arts (BA) in 1963.[2]
In 1963, Matthew moved to work as a teacher in what is nowTanzania inEast Africa, where he met his American wife Sue Ann Curry (born 1941).[2] They moved toOxford in 1966, where they married. Matthew began first an uncompleted diploma in politics and economics, and then a doctorate on theimperial wing of theLiberal Party in the 1890s and 1900s, completed in 1970.
In 1970, Matthew was appointedlecturer in Gladstone studies atChrist Church, Oxford, a post tied to the assistant editorship of the Gladstone Diaries, then being prepared for publication byM. R. D. Foot. In 1972 Matthew succeeded Foot as the sole editor, and completed the project. In 1978 Matthew was elected fellow and tutor in modern history atSt Hugh's College, Oxford. He was made a full professor in 1992.[3]
WhenOxford University Press proposed a revision of theDictionary of National Biography in the early 1990s, Matthew's work on the Gladstone Diaries recommended him for the position. He began work in 1992 and devised the editorial structure and guidelines for the dictionary, as well as writing or revising several hundred articles for the work.[1] Other editorial roles included chairing the publications committee ofOxford Historical Monographs and membership of theRoyal Historical Manuscripts Commission.[4]
Matthew died from aheart attack in Oxford on 29 October 1999. The dictionary was published in 2004 following Matthew's plan.[1]
Matthew was elected aFellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1976 and served as the society's Literary Director from 1985-1989 and Vice-President from 1993-1997. After his death the society established the annual Colin Matthew Memorial Lecture for the Public Understanding of History in his memory, co-hosted withGresham College.[5]
TheHistory Faculty building at theUniversity of Oxford contains a room named after Matthew.[6] St Hugh's College also maintains a travel fund in Matthew's name available to all students at the University of Oxford to undertake historical research.[7]
