John David Fleeman (1932-1993) was born in the East Riding of Yorkshire, a 'Johnson' on his mother's side. He attended Pocklington School and St Andrews University (1951-1956) where he obtained a First in English Language and Literature and won the class medal. He fulfilled his National Service (1956-1958) in the Royal Army Education Corps. He married Isabella Macaskill whom he had met at St Andrews in 1957.
After a brief period teaching in Selby he gained a place at Oxford to pursue graduate study on Johnson and, particularly, on the bibliography of Johnson's works under LF Powell (D.Phil awarded in 1965). Between 1961-63 he was bibliography consultant at Harvard and responsible for the cataloguing the collection of Donald and Mary Hyde. In 1964 he was Hyde Fellow in Bibliography at Harvard. He was elected a fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford and was responsible for tutoring on English literature and lecturing in the Faculty of English. He also took on administrative responsibilities within the College including Secretary of the Governing Body (1966-71) and Librarian from 1968. He served as acting head of the college from 1991-93 and Vicegerent 1992-93. Beyond the college and faculty he was appointed one of the two University Proctors, 1976-77, editor of Notes and Queries 1977-1984. He acted as president of both the Lichfield Society and the Johnson Club and a governor of Johnson's House.
He published extensively on Johnson between 1961 and 1994. He worked towards a complete account of every published piece by Johnson and of every known fragment of manuscript material which could be traced. He worked not only on the editions published in Johnson's lifetime but all later printings. Sadly he died before completing his bibliography of Johnson which was published posthumously. He is recognised as 'the greatest Johnson scholar of his time, embodying the virtues and qualities that Johnson demanded in the Scholar' and a 'kind and tolerant man who loved his subject and cared for his students' (Professor Gray, Memorial Service, 27 October 1994).
From the guide to the Papers of Dr John David Fleeman, 1959-1994, (University of St Andrews)
