WRIGHT, Esmond 1915-2003

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born November 5, 1915, in Newcastle on Tyne, England; died August 9, 2003, in Masham, North Yorkshire, England. Educator, politician, and author. Wright was a historian and former president of Swinton Conservative College, who gained national attention as a "television don" for his educational broadcasts and for winning a seat in Parliament as a Tory representing Glasgow. Specializing in American history—especially the American Revolutionary period—he was a graduate of the University of Durham, where he earned a B.A. in 1937 and an M.A. in 1948, and the University of Virginia, where he also received a master's degree in 1940. During World War II he enlisted in the Intelligence Corps and Education Corps and served in North Africa and the Middle East. He eventually achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel and returned to the United Kingdom to teach at the University of Glasgow in 1946. Becoming a professor of modern history there in 1957, he began using television to host television programs about history on the British Broadcasting Corp., and he also contributed regularly to newspapers. In 1967, much to the surprise of his colleagues, he ran for and won the Glasgow, Pollok seat in Parliament as a Conservative, a seat that had long been held by the Labour Party. However, political office did not suit him, and he left Parliament after only one term. Nevertheless, his status as a Conservative was established, and he was offered the position of principal of Swinton Conservative College, a job he held until 1976, when the college closed due to financial problems. Wright was not out of work, however, because since 1971 he had also been teaching American history and directing the Institute of U.S. Studies at the University of London, where he remained until his retirement in 1983. As a scholar, Wright was widely respected for his writings on American history, completing some twenty books during his career. These publications include Fabric of Freedom: 1763-1800 (1961; revised edition, 1978), The Causes and Consequences of the American Revolution (1966), Franklin of Philadelphia (1986), The Search for Liberty (1994), and The American Dream: From Reconstruction to Reagan (1996).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Daily Telegraph (London, England), September 1, 2003.

Guardian (London, England), August 19, 2003, p. 23.

Times (London, England), August 19, 2003.