Blakemore, Harold

Harold Blakemore was born in Mexborough and educated at Mexborough Grammar School. At University College London he specialised in Latin American history : his academic interests remained in the modern history of Latin America and in that of Chile in particular. After teaching History and International Relations at the University of Sheffield, he returned to the University of London to the School of Oriental and African Studies. When, in 1965, the University established the Institute of Latin American Studies he became its Secretary, a post he retained until his retirement in 1987. A prolific author and regular editor, speaker and reviewer, he was editor of The Journal of Latin American studies from 1969 to 1987, joint editor of The Cambridge encyclopaedia of Latin America and the Caribbean (C.U.P., 1985), and a contributor to The Cambridge History of Latin America (Vol. 5, C.U.P., 1986). Beyond the academic world, he was also consulted on commercial matters and was for many years a member of the Latin American Trade Advisory Group. In 1990 Professor Blakemore was invested by the Chilean government with the Bernardo O'Higgins Order of Merit for his "magnificent contribution to Anglo-Chilean understanding". He died in 1991.

From the guide to the The Harold Blakemore Latin American Archive, 1930-1991 (photocopies and transcripts of earlier material, 1866 onwards), (Bradford University Library)