Pollard, A.F. (Albert Frederick), 1869-1948

Albert Frederick Pollard was born on 16 December 1869. He received a scholarship to Jesus College, Oxford University, where he attended the Union and rowed in the college eight. At Oxford he received a first class degree in History. In 1893, Pollard obtained the assistant editorship of the Dictionary of National Biography where he remained for nine years. In 1903, he became Professor of Constitutional History at University College London and in 1908 he was elected to a research fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford. His seminal publications include England under the Protector Somerset (1900), Henry VIII (1905) and Evolution of Parliament (1920). Pollard was also a co-founder of the Historical Association in 1903, editor of its journal History for six years and President 1912-1915. Most signally for the University of London, he was founder of the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) and Director and Honorary Director in turn from its opening in July 1921 until 1939. His long association with the University of London included the continuous Chairmanship of the Board of the Studies in History from 1910 until 1923. Pollard was also deeply interested in modern history and politics and in 1918 he served on the Government Committee on the League of Nations. For three consecutive years 1922-1924, Pollard stood unsuccessfully as Liberal candidate for the University of London seat. In 1924, Pollard took up the post of Visiting Professor at Columbia University for four months and toured a number of universities in Canada and the USA. In 1920, Pollard was elected to the British Academy and in 1930 he was made a Corresponding Member of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres (Institut de France). By 1933, he had received an Honorary Degree from Manchester University and become an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. He died on 3 August 1948.

From the guide to the Albert Frederick Pollard papers, 1884-1948, (Senate House Library, University of London)

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