14-496: Peter John Hennessy, Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield , FBA (born 28 March 1947) is an English historian and academic specialising in the history of government. Since 1992, he has been Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary University of London . Hennessy was born in Edmonton, north London, son of William Gerald Hennessy and Edith, née Wood-Johnson. He comes from a large Catholic family of Irish provenance . He
28-462: A letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum . Hennessy is married with two daughters. He lives in London with his wife Enid. In September 2019, he stated in an interview that he had early-stage Parkinson's disease . On 7 May 2023, Hennessy was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs . Hennessy is the author of numerous articles and of
42-511: A member of Duff Cooper's family (initially, Duff Cooper's son, John Julius Norwich for the first thirty-six years, and then John Julius' daughter, Artemis Cooper ). The other three judges appointed by the trust serve for five years and they appoint their own successors. The first three judges were Maurice Bowra , Cyril Connolly and Raymond Mortimer . At present, the three appointed judges are biographer Mark Amory, historian Susan Brigden , and TLS history editor David Horspool . From 2013,
56-556: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Duff Cooper Prize The Duff Cooper Prize (currently known as the Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize ) is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of history , biography , political science or occasionally poetry , published in English or French . The prize was established in honour of Duff Cooper , a British diplomat, Cabinet member and author. The prize
70-580: The Duff Cooper Prize in 1992 and the NCR Book Award in 1993. His study of Britain in the 1950s and the rise of Harold Macmillan , Having It So Good: Britain in the 1950s , won the 2007 Orwell Prize for political writing. On 5 October 2010 the House of Lords Appointments Commission said that Hennessy was to be a crossbench (non-political) peer. He was created a life peer on 8 November 2010, taking
84-724: The Partygate scandal, he said "I think we're in the most severe constitutional crisis involving a prime minister that I can remember." Hennessy co-founded the Institute of Contemporary British History in 1986. From 1992 to 2000, he was professor of contemporary history at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London . From 1994 to 1997, he gave public lectures as Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College , London. From 2001, he has been Attlee professor of contemporary British history at Queen Mary, University of London. His analysis of post-war Britain, Never Again: Britain 1945–1951 , won
98-417: The defense of Beves, considering him uninterested in politics. Hennessy wrote for The Economist in 1982. He was a regular presenter of Analysis on BBC Radio 4 from 1987 to 1992. On 17 November 2005, he made a trenchant appearance alongside Lord Wilson of Dinton before the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee on the publication of political memoirs. In July and August 2013 he
112-841: The following books: Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy ( post-nominal letters FBA ) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: The award of fellowship is based on published work and fellows may use the post-nominal letters FBA . Examples of Fellows are Edward Rand ; Mary Beard ; Roy Porter ; Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford ; Michael Lobban ; M. R. James ; Friedrich Hayek ; John Maynard Keynes ; Lionel Robbins ; and Rowan Williams . This award -related article
126-515: The title Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield , of Nympsfield in the County of Gloucestershire. He was introduced to the House of Lords on 25 November. "I'm terribly pleased and honoured", Hennessy said at hearing the news. "I hope I can help the House of Lords a bit on constitutional matters. I'll certainly give it my best shot." In August 2014, Lord Hennessy was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to
140-672: Was a journalist for the Times Higher Education Supplement from 1972 to 1974. From 1974 to 1982, he wrote leaders for The Times , for which he was also the Whitehall correspondent. He was The Financial Times ' lobby correspondent at Westminster in 1976. In June 1977, Hennessy accused Donald Beves of being the "fourth man" in the Cambridge Spy Ring (then-known participants were Philby , Burgess , and Maclean ), but Geoffrey Grigson and others quickly leapt to
154-642: Was brought up in large houses requisitioned by the local council, first in Allandale Avenue and then in Lyndhurst Gardens , Finchley , north London. He attended the nearby Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, and on Sundays he went to St Mary Magdalene Church, where he was an altar boy. He was the subject of the first episode, first broadcast on 6 August 2007, of the BBC Radio 4 series The House I Grew Up In , in which he talked about his childhood. Hennessy
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#1733085659320168-589: Was educated at St Benedict's School and then at a grammar school in Ealing , west London. After his father's job led the family to move to the Cotswolds , he attended Marling School , a grammar school in Stroud , Gloucestershire. He went on to study at St John's College, Cambridge , where he was awarded a BA in 1969 and a PhD in 1990. Hennessy was a Kennedy Memorial Scholar at Harvard University from 1971 to 1972. Hennessy
182-479: Was first awarded in 1956 to Alan Moorehead for his Gallipoli . At present, the winner receives a first edition copy of Duff Cooper's autobiography Old Men Forget and a cheque for £ 5,000. After Duff Cooper's death in 1954, a group of his friends decided to establish a trust to endow a literary prize in his memory. The trust appoints five judges. Two of them are ex officio : the Warden of New College, Oxford , and
196-474: Was the interviewer for BBC Radio 4's Reflections , a series of four biographical interview programmes featuring Shirley Williams , Jack Straw , Norman Tebbit and Neil Kinnock . Hennessy continues to present the programme. On 17 April 2022, he was interviewed by BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House . On the subject of the Metropolitan Police fines issued to Boris Johnson for lockdown breaches during
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