List of politicians, lawyers, and civil servants educated at Jesus College, Oxford
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Jesus College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth I at the request of Hugh Price, a Welsh clergyman, who was Treasurer of St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. The college still has strong links with Wales, and about 15% of students are Welsh. There are 340 undergraduates and 190 students carrying out postgraduate studies. Women have been admitted since 1974, when the college was one of the first five men's colleges to become co-educational. Old members of Jesus College are sometimes known as "Jesubites".
Harold Wilson studied at Jesus College from 1934 to 1937, and was later the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during two periods (from October 1964 to June 1970, and from March 1974 to April 1976). More than 30 other Members of Parliament (MPs) have been educated at the college, from Sir John Salusbury who was elected as MP for Denbighshire in 1601 to Theresa Villiers who was elected as MP for Chipping Barnet in 2005. Sir Leoline Jenkins, who became a Fellow and later the Principal of the college, was Secretary of State for the Northern Department from 1680 to 1681 and Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1681 to 1685. Sir William Williams served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1680 to 1685 and as Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1687 to 1689. Evan Cotton was MP for Finsbury East before holding the position of President of the Bengal Legislative Council from 1922 to 1925. Several Welsh politicians have been educated at the college, some representing constituencies in Wales (such as Sir John Wogan, representing Pembrokeshire at various times between 1614 and 1644) and others working outside Parliament, such as D. J. Williams, a co-founder of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru.
Other students at the college have subsequently held political offices in other countries. Norman Manley was Chief Minister of Jamaica from 1955 to 1962. P. T. Rajan was Chief Minister of Madras Presidency between April and August 1936. Heather Wilson was the first Old Member of the college to sit in the United States House of Representatives, where she represented New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 1998 to 2009. The Australian politician Neal Blewett was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1977 to 1994, a Government Minister from 1983 to 1994 and High Commissioner to the UK from 1994 to 1998. Pixley ka Isaka Seme, who studied for a BCL between 1906 and 1909, was one of the founder members of the African National Congress.
Several prominent judges and lawyers were educated at the college. Viscount Sankey, who was Lord Chancellor from 1929 to 1935, studied for a BA in History and BCL between 1885 and 1891. Lord du Parcq was appointed as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in 1946. Sir Richard Richards became Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in 1817. The Scottish MP and lawyer Lord Murray was appointed a Senator of the College of Justice in 1979. The solicitor Sir David Lewis was Lord Mayor of the City of London from 2007 to 2008. Other lawyers who studied at the college include James Chadwin QC, who defended the Yorkshire Ripper, and Sir Arthur James, who prosecuted the Great Train Robbers and later became a judge of the Court of Appeal. Academic lawyers include J Duncan M Derrett, Professor of Oriental Laws in the University of London from 1965 to 1982, and Alfred Hazel, Reader in English Law at All Souls College, Oxford.
Alumni
- Abbreviations used in the following tables
- M – Year of matriculation at Jesus College (a dash indicates that the individual did not matriculate at the college)
- G – Year of graduation / conclusion of study at Jesus College (a dash indicates that the individual graduated from another college)
- DNG – Did not graduate: left the college without taking a degree
- ? – Year unknown; an approximate year is used for table-sorting purposes.
- (F/P) after name – later became a Fellow or Principal of Jesus College, and included on the list of Principals and Fellows
- (HF) after name – later became an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, and included on the list of Honorary Fellows
- Degree abbreviations
- Undergraduate degree: BA – Bachelor of Arts
- Postgraduate degrees:
- BCL – Bachelor of Civil Law
- MA – Master of Arts
- MPhil – Master of Philosophy
- DCL – Doctor of Civil Law
- DPhil – Doctor of Philosophy
The subject studied and the degree classification are included, where known. Until the early 19th century, undergraduates read for a Bachelor of Arts degree that included study of Latin and Greek texts, mathematics, geometry, philosophy and theology. Individual subjects at undergraduate level were only introduced later: for example, Mathematics (1805), Natural Science (1850), Jurisprudence (1851, although it had been available before this to students who obtained special permission), Modern History (1851) and Theology (1871). Geography and Modern Languages were introduced in the 20th century. Music had been available as a specialist subject before these changes; medicine was studied as a post-graduate subject.
Politicians from England and Wales
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| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir John Aubrey, 2nd Baronet | 1668 | DNG | – | MP for Brackley (1698–1700) | |
| Sir John Aubrey, 3rd Baronet | 1698 | DNG | – | MP for Cardiff (1706–1710) | |
| Thomas Bulkeley, 7th Viscount Bulkeley | 1769 | 1773 | MA (1773), DCL (1810) | MP for Anglesey (1774–1784); donated the copy of Guido Reni's St Michael subduing the Devil hanging in the college chapel | |
| Sir Evan Cotton | 1887 | 1892 | BA Modern History (2nd, 1891), BA Jurisprudence (2nd, 1892) (2nd in Classics Honour Mods, 1889) | Liberal MP for Finsbury East (1918), President of the Bengal Legislative Council (1922–1925) | |
| J. E. Daniel | 1919 | 1925 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st, 1923), BA Theology (1st, 1925) | Welsh theologian and chairman of Plaid Cymru (1939–1943) | |
| Edward Davey | 1985 | 1988 | BA PPE (1st) | President of the Jesus College JCR; became Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton (1997 to date); appointed Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in 2012 | |
| Geraint Davies | 1978 | 1982 | BA PPE | President of the Jesus College JCR; became Labour MP for Croydon Central (1997–2005) | |
| Bruce Douglas-Mann | 1948 | 1951 | BA PPE (2nd) | Labour MP for Kensington North (1970–1974) and Mitcham and Morden (1974–1982); joined the SDP, but lost his seat at the by-election following his change of party | |
| Sir Francis Edwards, 1st Baronet | 1872 | 1875 | Pass degree | Liberal MP for Radnorshire (1892–1895, 1900 – January 1910 and December 1910 – 1918) | |
| William Foxwist | 1628 | DNG | – | Welsh judge who was MP for Caernarfon (1647–1648), Anglesey (1654–1655), Swansea (1659) and St Albans (1660) | |
| Edward Garnier QC | 1971 | 1974 | BA Modern History (3rd) | Conservative MP for Harborough (1992–2017), Solicitor General (2010–2012) | |
| Sir William Glynne, 1st Baronet | 1654 | 1656 | BA | MP for Caernarfon in the Third Protectorate Parliament | |
| Ian Grist | 1957 | 1960 | BA Modern History (2nd) | Labour MP for Cardiff North (1974–1983), then MP for Cardiff Central (1983–1992) | |
| Leoline Jenkins (F/P) | 1641 | DNG | – | Studies interrupted by the English Civil War, but awarded DCL in 1661; a lawyer and diplomat who served as Secretary of State (1680–1684) | |
| Thomas Johnes | ? | ? | ? | MP for Cardigan, Radnorshire and Cardiganshire in succession between 1775 and 1816; Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire (1800–1816) | |
| Sir Thomas Littleton, 2nd Baronet | 1638 | DNG | – | MP for Wenlock in the Short and Long Parliaments (1661–1679), then MP for East Grinstead (1679) and Yarmouth (1681) | |
| Sir Charles Lloyd, 1st Baronet | 1679 | DNG | – | MP for Cardigan boroughs (1698–1701), High Sheriff of Cardiganshire (1690) and High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire (1716) | |
| Sir Herbert Lloyd, 1st Baronet | 1738 | DNG | – | MP for Cardigan boroughs (1761–1768) | |
| John Meyrick | ? | ? | ? | MP for Pembroke (1702–1708) and Cardigan (1710–1712); later a judge in Anglesey | |
| Andrew McIntosh, Baron McIntosh of Haringey | 1951 | 1954 | BA PPE (2nd) | Former leader of the Labour Group on the Greater London Council; Deputy Government Chief Whip (1997–2003) | |
| Sir Roger Mostyn, 3rd Baronet | 1690 | DNG | – | MP who represented Flintshire, Flint and Cheshire between 1701 and 1734 | |
| Sir James Perrot | 1586 | DNG | – | Welsh writer; MP for Haverfordwest in the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I and Charles I | |
| James Philipps | 1610 | ? | ? | High Sheriff of Cardiganshire in 1649; MP representing Cardiganshire, Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Boroughs between 1653 and 1661 | |
| William Price | 1707 | DNG | – | High Sheriff of Merionethshire and High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire | |
| William Bowen Rowlands | 1854 | 1859 | BA | Liberal MP for Cardiganshire (1886–1895) | |
| Sir John Salusbury | 1581 | DNG | – | MP for Denbighshire in 1601; also wrote sonnets and love lyrics | |
| Sir Thomas Salusbury, 2nd Baronet | – | 1642 | DCL | MP for Denbighshire in the Short Parliament of 1640; awarded an honorary DCL by King Charles I during the English Civil War | |
| Samuel Segal, Baron Segal (HF) | 1919 | 1923 | BA Physiology (2nd) | Labour MP for Preston (1945–1950) and Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords (1973–1982) | |
| Peter Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gwydir (HF) | 1938 | 1946 | BA Jurisprudence | Studies interrupted by World War II, when he served in the RAF and was a prisoner of war; then Conservative MP for Conwy (1951–1966) and Hendon South (1970–1987), and Secretary of State for Wales (1970–1974) | |
| James Tinn | 1955 | 1958 | BA PPE (3rd) | Labour MP for Cleveland (1964–1974) and for Redcar (1974–1987) | |
| John Vaughan, 1st Earl of Carbery | 1592 | DNG | – | Comptroller to the household of Prince Charles (later King Charles I) and MP for Carmarthenshire; brother of William Vaughan, who also attended the college | |
| Theresa Villiers | 1990 | 1991 | BCL | Conservative MEP for London (1999–2005), MP for Chipping Barnet (2005 to date), Minister of State for Transport (2010–2012) and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (2012 onwards) | |
| John White | 1607 | DNG | – | High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, MP for Southwark (1640–1645) | |
| Alan W. Williams | 1963 | 1969 | BA Chemistry (1st), DPhil | Labour MP for Carmarthen (1987–1997) and Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (1997–2001) | |
| Sir Charles Williams | 1610 | DNG | – | MP for Monmouthshire 1620–1621 and 1640–1641 | |
| D. J. Williams | 1916 | 1918 | BA English (4th) | Welsh nationalist and writer; one of the founders of Plaid Cymru in 1925; his thesis was "The nature of literary creation" | |
| Hugh Williams | 1712 | DNG | – | MP for Anglesey (1725–1734), grandson of Sir William Williams | |
| Sir William Williams | 1650 | DNG | – | MP for Chester (1670–1685), Speaker of the House of Commons (1680–1685) and Solicitor General (1687–89); grandfather of Hugh Williams | |
| Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet | 1710 | DNG | – | Welsh politician and prominent Jacobite who was said to have had "a record of idleness and extravagance" at College; awarded an honorary DCL in 1732 and presented a 10 imperial gallons (45 L) punch bowl to College to commemorate this | |
| Harold Wilson (HF) | 1934 | 1937 | BA PPE (1st) | Awarded pre-entry scholarship to read Modern History but changed degree subject; twice served as British Prime Minister (October 1964 – June 1970 and March 1974 – April 1976) | |
| Sir John Wogan | 1607 | DNG | – | MP for Pembrokeshire in the 17th century | |
| Lewis Wogan | 1663 | DNG | – | High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire (1672) | |
| William Wynne | 1820 | DNG | – | MP for Merioneth (1852–1865), High Sheriff of Merionethshire (1867) |
Politicians in other countries
| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lalith Athulathmudali | 1955 | 1960 | BA Jurisprudence (2nd, 1958), BCL (2nd, 1960) | President of the Oxford Union (1958); a Sri Lankan politician; killed by the Tamil Tigers in 1993 | |
| Neal Blewett (HF) | 1957 | 1959 | BA PPE (2nd) | Member of the Australian House of Representatives (1977–1994), Government Minister (1983–1994), High Commissioner to the UK (1994–1998) | |
| Joseph Clearihue | 1911 | 1914 | BA Jurisprudence (2nd, 1913), BCL (3rd, 1914) | Canadian Rhodes scholar; later became a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and a county court judge; also chairman of the council of Victoria College, British Columbia (which became the University of Victoria under his leadership) | |
| Don Baron Jayatilaka | 1910 | 1912 | BA Jurisprudence (3rd) | Ceylonese statesman (vice-chairman of the Board of Ministers, Leader of the State Council, and Minister for Home Affairs) | |
| Terry Le Sueur | ? | 1963 | BA Physics (3rd) | Chief Minister of Jersey 2008–2011 | |
| Thomas Lloyd | 1658 | 1661 | Law and medicine | Politician in the province of Pennsylvania | |
| Norman Manley (HF) | 1914 | 1921 | BA Jurisprudence, BCL (2nd) | A Rhodes scholar whose studies were interrupted by World War I; Chief Minister of Jamaica (1955–1962) | |
| P. T. Rajan | 1912 | 1915 | BA Modern History (4th) | Chief Minister of Madras Presidency (April – August 1936) | |
| Harold Rushworth | ? | ? | BA Jurisprudence | Emigrated to New Zealand in 1923, becoming an MP for the Country Party in 1928 | |
| Pixley ka Isaka Seme | 1906 | 1909 | BCL | Founder member of the African National Congress | |
| Heather Wilson | 1982 | 1985 | MPhil (1984), DPhil in International Relations (1985) | Republican member of the US House of Representatives, representing New Mexico's 1st congressional district (June 1998 – January 2009); the first Jesus Old Member elected to the House |
Judges
| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Amissah | 1951 | 1954 | BA Jurisprudence (2nd) | Ghanaian lawyer, judge and academic | |
| Sir John Blake-Reed (HF) | 1901 | 1905 | BA Literae Humaniores (3rd) | British judge in various courts in Palestine, Cairo and Alexandria (1919–1949) | |
| Herbert du Parcq, Baron du Parcq (HF) | 1904 | 1905 | BCL | British judge, appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in 1946 | |
| William Evans | – | 1873 | BA Literae Humaniores (1872, 3rd), BA Jurisprudence (4th, 1873) | Matriculated as a non-collegiate student in 1868, transferring to Jesus College in 1869; a barrister and legal author, then a county court judge assigned to mid-Wales; died whilst sitting at Oswestry County Court | |
| Sir Arthur James (HF) | 1934 | 1938 | BA Jurisprudence (1st, 1937), BCL (1st, 1938) | Barrister (who prosecuted the Great Train Robbers) then a judge of the High Court and Court of Appeal | |
| Sir Vincent Lloyd-Jones (HF) | 1921 | 1924 | BA English (2nd, 1923), BA Jurisprudence (3rd, 1924) | High Court judge (1960–1972) | |
| Michael Long | ? | 1949 | BA Jurisprudence (3rd) | Director of Public Prosecutions for Belize (1980–1981), Resident Judge of the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus (1981–1985) | |
| Ronald Murray, Lord Murray (HF) | 1947 | 1949 | ? | MP for Edinburgh Leith (1970–1979), Lord Advocate (1974–1979), appointed a Senator of the College of Justice in 1979 | |
| Sir David Poole (HF) | 1957 | 1961 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) | Barrister, then a High Court judge | |
| Sir John Powell | 1650 | 1653 | BA | Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and of the Court of King's Bench; presided over the trial of the Seven Bishops in 1688 | |
| Sir Richard Richards | 1771 | – | – | Transferred to Wadham College and then The Queen's College; an MP (briefly) who became Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer | |
| John Sankey, 1st Viscount Sankey (HF) | 1885 | 1891 | BA Modern History (2nd, 1889), BCL (3rd) | Lord Chancellor (1929–1935), also High Steward of Oxford University | |
| John Seys-Llewellyn | 1931 | 1934 | BA French and German (2nd) | Barrister (who participated in the prosecution of the Nuremberg Trials); later a county court judge |
Other lawyers
| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Chadwin QC | 1951 | ? | ? | Barrister; defended the Yorkshire Ripper | |
| Charles Clark | 1954 | 1957 | BA Jurisprudence (3rd) | Lawyer and publisher; an expert on copyright | |
| J Duncan M Derrett | 1940 | 1947 | BA Modern History | Professor of Oriental Laws in the University of London (1965–1982) | |
| Sir David William Evans | 1885 | 1888 | ? | Welsh solicitor who was director and legal advisor of the King Edward VII National Memorial Association for the Prevention and Treatment of Tuberculosis, and knighted for public services to Wales; previously won his "Blue" in rugby (1887 and 1888) and played as a Welsh rugby union international, winning six caps (1889–1891) | |
| Sidney Hayward QC | 1919 | 1922 | BA Jurisprudence (2nd) (1st class in Mods in Mathematics) | Barrister and writer on housing and planning law | |
| Alfred Hazel (F/P) | 1888 | 1894 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd, 1892), BA Jurisprudence (1st, 1893), BCL (2nd) | All Souls Reader in English Law, Liberal MP for West Bromwich (1906 – January 1910) | |
| Sir David Lewis (HF) | 1966 | 1969 | BA Jurisprudence | Former senior partner of Norton Rose Fulbright, Lord Mayor of London (2007–2008) | |
| Llywarch Reynolds | 1868 | 1875 | BA | Welsh solicitor and Celtic scholar; many of the antiquarian manuscripts he collected are now held by the National Library of Wales | |
| John Williams | 1773 | – | – | Transferred to Wadham College and graduated from there; serjeant-at-law and legal writer | |
| Edward Wynne (F) | 1698 | 1702 | BA (1702), MA (1705) BCL and DCL (1711) | Advocate at Doctors' Commons, chancellor of the Diocese of Hereford and an Anglesey landowner | |
| Edward Wynne | 1753 | DNG | – | Barrister and legal writer; son of the lawyer William Wynne | |
| William Wynne | 1709 | 1712 | BA | Serjeant-at-law and author of The Life of Sir Leoline Jenkins (1724); son of Owen Wynne and father of barrister Edward Wynne |
Civil servants and diplomats
| Name | M | G | Degree | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Frederick Atkinson (HF) | 1938 | 1947 | BA PPE | Chief Economic Adviser to HM Treasury (1977–1979) | |
| Sir Goronwy Daniel (HF) | 1937 | 1940 | DPhil | Permanent Under-Secretary of the Welsh Office (1964–1969), Principal of University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1969–1979) | |
| Eryl Davies | 1940 | 1942 | BA English | Chief Inspector of Schools for Wales (1972–1982) | |
| Gunasena de Soyza | 1923 | 1926 | BA Literae Humaniores (2nd) | High Commissioner for Ceylon in Britain (1960–1961) | |
| Sir Walter Jenkins | 1893 | 1897 | BA | Director of Naval Contracts at the Admiralty (1919–1936) | |
| Sir Philip Jones (HF) | 1949 | 1953 | BA Literae Humaniores | Civil servant who was later chairman of Total Oil Marine (1990–1998) and chairman of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (1996–2000) | |
| Sir Archibald Lush | ? | ? | ? | Chief Inspector of Schools for Monmouthshire (1944–1964), awarded a knighthood for social services to Wales | |
| Christopher Lintrup Paus | 1900 | 1904 | MA | Diplomat who served at the British Embassy in Oslo as commercial counsellor and as the British consul in Oslo | |
| Sir Thomas Williams Phillips (HF) | 1902 | 1906 | BA Literae Humaniores (1st) | Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour (1935–1944) and Chairman of the War Damage Commission (1949–1959) | |
| Sir David Roberts | ? | ? | BA | Diplomat who served as Ambassador to Syria, High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Ambassador to Lebanon | |
| Sir Archibald Rowlands | ? | ? | BA Modern Languages | Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Aircraft Production during the Second World War | |
| Sir Ben Bowen Thomas (HF) | 1920 | ? | BA Modern History | Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Department of the Department of Education (1945–1963), President of University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (1964–1975) | |
| Sir Edgar Vaughan (HF) | 1925 | 1929 | BA Modern History (1st, 1928), BA PPE (1st, 1929) | Ambassador to Colombia (1964–1966) | |
| Owen Wynne | 1668 | 1672 | BA | Secretary to Sir Leoline Jenkins when he was Secretary of State, and for his successors; described as "an early example of the permanent civil servant" |
References
Notes
Bibliography
- The Jesus College Record – annual publication. Cited in references as: JCR
- Baker, J. N. L. (1971). Jesus College, Oxford 1571–1971. Oxonian Press Ltd, Oxford. ISBN 0-9502164-0-2. Cited in references as: Baker
- Foster, Joseph (1891–92). Alumni Oxonienses: The Members of the University of Oxford, 1500–1714. James Parker and Co. Volume 1: A–D, Volume 2: E–K, Volume 3: L–R, Volume 4: S–Z. Cited in references as: Foster, 1500–1714
- Foster, Joseph (1893). Oxford Men & their Colleges. Illustrated with portraits & views. Together with the matriculation register, 1880–1892. James Parker & Co. pp. 515–516. ISBN 978-1-85506-843-8. Cited in references as: Oxford Men
- Jesus College, Oxford (1955). List of Old Members (5th ed.). Cited in references as: Members List
- "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford University Press. January 2009. (subscription or UK public library membership required) Cited in references as: ODNB
- Oxford honours, 1220–1894, being an alphabetical register of distinctions conferred by the University of Oxford from the earliest times. University of Oxford. 1894. Cited in references as: Honours
- University of Oxford (1934). "Alphabetical Register of Honours and Distinctions". Supplement to the historical register of 1900, including an alphabetical record of University honours and distinctions for the years 1901–1930. Oxford University Press. pp. 33–201. OCLC 279916047. Cited in references as: Honours Supplement 1930
- University of Oxford (1951). "Alphabetical Register of Honours and Distinctions". Supplement to the historical register of 1900, including an alphabetical record of University honours and distinctions for the years 1931–1950. Oxford University Press. pp. 34–228. OCLC 30174255. Cited in references as: Honours Supplement 1950
- University of Oxford (1970). "Alphabetical Register of Honours and Distinctions". Supplement to the historical register of 1900, including an alphabetical record of University honours and distinctions for the years 1951–1965. Oxford University Press. pp. 32–333. ISBN 978-0-19-951181-5. Cited in references as: Honours Supplement 1965
- "Dictionary of Welsh Biography". The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion of London and the National Library of Wales. 2007. Cited in references as: DWB
- "Who's Who". A&C Black (Publishers) Ltd (paper version) and Oxford University Press (online version). January 2008. (subscription required) Cited in references as: Who's Who
- "Who Was Who". A&C Black (Publishers) Ltd (paper version) and Oxford University Press (online version). January 2008. (subscription required) Cited in references as: Who Was Who