Peter Mathias | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Peter Mathias (1928-01-10)10 January 1928 |
| Died | 1 March 2016(2016-03-01) (aged 88) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Known for | Master ofDowning College, Cambridge,Chichele Professor of Economic History at theUniversity of Oxford and fellow ofAll Souls College, Oxford |
| Awards | Commander of the British Empire (CBE), Fellow,The British Academy |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Jesus College, Cambridge |
| Doctoral advisor | Charles Henry Wilson |
| Academic work | |
| Doctoral students | David Cannadine,Brian Harrison,Heita Kawakatsu,Emperor Naruhito,Edmund Newell,Patrick K. O'Brien,John Cunningham Wood |
| Main interests | Economic history,business history,history of technology,British history |
| Notable works | The First Industrial Nation: an Economic History of Britain 1700–1914 (1969) |
Peter Mathias,CBE FRHistS FBA MAE (10 January 1928 – 1 March 2016) was a Britisheconomic historian and the formerChichele Professor ofEconomic History at theUniversity of Oxford.[1][2] His research focused on the history of industry,business, andtechnology, both inBritain andEurope. He is most well known for his publication ofThe First Industrial Nation: an Economic History of Britain 1700–1914 (1969), which discussed not only the multiple factors that made industrialisation possible, but also how it was sustained.[3]
Mathias was born inFreshford, Somerset to Jack Mathias (fromPlymouth) and Marion (née) Love (fromWingfield).
He attendedColston's School andBristol Grammar School where he became interested inhistory.[4] In December 1945, he applied for a scholarship atKing's College, Cambridge; instead he won anExhibition atJesus College, Cambridge, during summer 1946. However the college demanded that those coming up from school should have donemilitary service before they arrived so he spent two years in thearmy as aconscript.[5] At Cambridge, his tutor was themedievalist, Vivian Fisher, and the English economichistorian,Charles Wilson. Mathias also spent the 1952–3 academic year atHarvard University, participating in the Research Center for Entrepreneurial History.[6]
He was elected a Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge, when he published his first book on the brewing industry in England. The manuscript described the importance of the technical aspects of brewing and manufacturing to the developing of the industry as a whole. Mathias then went out to complete a textbook on the history of industrialisation in Britain,The First Industrial Nation (1969).
He was fellow ofQueens' College, Cambridge, from 1955 to 1968, and later an Honorary Fellow from 1987.[7] He wasChichele Professor of Economic History at theUniversity of Oxford and fellow ofAll Souls College, Oxford. There, he was editor of theCambridge Economic History of Europe and co-founded ofThe Journal of European Economic History.[8] He left Oxford to become master ofDowning College, Cambridge, from 1987 to 1995.[2]
Outside of research and teaching, Mathias contributed to the academic community with his positions at theEconomic History Society (EHS) and the International Economic History Association (IEHA). He joined the former in his final year of undergraduate work at Cambridge. He continued to work for the EHS as Reviews Editor, Assistant Editor (1955–), Treasurer (1968–88), and President (1989–92). Meanwhile, the IEHA emerged from conferences at theStockholm University, but expanded in the 1960s. Mathias also became a member of the Datini Institute inPrato, Italy in 1967, under the direction ofFernand Braudel and Federigo Melis.[9]
After retiring in 1995, he continued on advising and researching. He was the international advisor toKeio University,Japan, and President of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. For this work, he was granted theOrder of the Rising Sun with Gold Rays in 2003.[10]
In 1998, Mathias'Festschrift,From Family Firms to Corporate Capitalism: Essays in Business and Industrial History in Honour of Peter Mathias was published by his former students, Kristine Bruland andPatrick O'Brien. Another Festschrift was published in 2018 entitledAsia and the history of the international economy : essays in memory of Peter Mathias, edited byA. J. H. Latham andHeita Kawakatsu. Professor Mathias is also mentioned extensively inThe Thames and I, a memoir by the Prince (now Emperor) of JapanNaruhito, since he was the prince's supervisor while Naruhito was at Merton College in Oxford (1983-1985).
| Country | Date | Appointment | Post-nominal letters |
|---|---|---|---|
 United Kingdom | 1984 – 1 March 2016 | Commander of the Order of the British Empire | CBE |
| Country | Date | Decoration | Post-nominal letters |
|---|---|---|---|
 Japan | 3 November 2003 – 1 March 2016 | Order of the Rising Sun (Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon)[11] |
 |
| Location | Date | School | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
 England | 1955 – 1968 | Queens' College, Cambridge | Fellow |
| England | 1987–1 March 2016 | Queens' College, Cambridge | Honorary Fellow[7] |
| England | 1987 – 1 March 2016 | Jesus College, Cambridge | Honorary Fellow |
| England | 1995 – 1 March 2016 | Downing College, Cambridge | Honorary Fellow |
|
| Location | Date | School | Degree | Gave Commencement Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1984 | University of Oxford | Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) | |
| England | 1985 | University of Buckingham | Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)[12] | |
| England | 1987 | University of Cambridge | Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) | |
| England | 1988 | University of Birmingham | Doctorate | |
| England | 1992 | University of Hull | Doctorate | |
| England | 1995 | De Montfort University | Doctorate | |
| England | 1995 | University of Warwick | Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)[13] | |
| England | 1999 | University of East Anglia | Doctorate | |
 Russian Federation | 2003 | Russian Academy of Sciences | Doctorate | |
| Japan | 2006 | Kansai University | Doctorate | |
| Japan | 7 November 2008 | Keio University | Doctor of Economics[14] |
|
| Location | Date | Organisation | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1968 – 1972 | Business Archives Council | Chairman |
| United Kingdom | 1972 – 1 March 2016 | Royal Historical Society | Fellow (FRHistS) |
 Netherlands | 1974 – 1978 | International Economic History Association | President |
| Netherlands | International Economic History Association | Honorary President | |
| United Kingdom | 1977 – 1 March 2016 | British Academy | Fellow (FBA) |
| United Kingdom | 1979 – 1989 | British Academy | Honorary Treasurer |
 Denmark | 1982 – 1 March 2016 | Royal Danish Academy | Foreign Member |
| England | 1984 – 1995 | Business Archives Council | President |
 Italy | 1987 – 1999 | International Economic History Institute 'Datini'Prato, Italy | Vice President |
 Belgium | 1988 – 1 March 2016 | Royal Belgian Academy | Foreign Member |
| England | 1989 – 1 March 2016 | Academia Europaea | Member (MAE) |
| United Kingdom | Economic History Society | Vice President | |
| United Kingdom | 1989 – 1992 | Economic History Society | President |
|
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Master of Downing College, Cambridge 1987–1995 | Succeeded by |
