List of presidents of the Oxford Union
Past elected Presidents of the Oxford Union at the University of Oxford are listed below, with their college and the year/term in which they served. Iterum indicates that a person was serving a second term as President (which is not possible under the current Union rules).
Key
- All Souls
- Balliol
- Brasenose
- Christ Church
- Corpus Christi
- Exeter
- Green Templeton
- Harris Manchester
- Hertford
- Jesus
- Keble
- Kellogg
- Lady Margaret Hall
- Linacre
- Lincoln
- Magdalen
- Mansfield
- Merton
- New College
- Nuffield
- Oriel
- Pembroke
- Queen's
- Regent's Park
- Somerville
- St Anne's
- St Antony's
- St Catherine's
- St Cross
- St Edmund Hall
- St Hilda's
- St Hugh's
- St John's
- St Peter's
- Trinity
- University
- Wadham
- Wolfson
- Worcester
Presidents of the United Debating Society
These are the Presidents as listed[1]
- 1823
- 1824
- R. C. Dallas
- E. Vernon-Harcourt
- Harry Vane
- T. F. Hodges[lower-alpha 1]
- Henry Baring
- Viscount Mahon
- C. Des Voeux[lower-alpha 2]
- James Stuart-Wortley
- Robert Wilberforce
- Digby Wrangham
- A. J. Lewis[lower-alpha 3]
- Hassard Hume Dodgson[lower-alpha 4]
- John Talbot
- 1825
- N. H. Macdonald
- H. W. Torrens
- Samuel Wilberforce
- Richard Durnford (iterum)[2]
- W. J. Blake
- Thomas Vesey
- E. E. Villiers
- Charles Murray[9]
- Walter Trower
- R. A. Hornby[lower-alpha 5]
- Frederick Calvert
- J. R. Wood[lower-alpha 6]
Presidents of the Oxford Union Society
1826–1831
These are the Presidents as listed[1][12][13]
- 1826
- Hilary
- Hassard Hume Dodgson[lower-alpha 4][n 1][12][13]
- Digby Wrangham[12]
- Trinity
- Hilary
- 1826–27
- Michaelmas
- R. A. Hornby[lower-alpha 5][12]
- Hilary
- N. H. Macdonald[12]
- Douglas Smith[lower-alpha 7][n 1]
- Henry Tufnell[12]
- Trinity
- J. Pearson[lower-alpha 8][12]
- Edward Twisleton[12]
- Michaelmas
- 1827–28
- Michaelmas
- Hilary
- Douglas Smith (iterum)[lower-alpha 7][12]
- Trinity
- 1828–29
- Michaelmas
- Hilary
- Trinity
- 1829–30
- Michaelmas
- Hilary
- Trinity
- 1830–31
- Michaelmas
- Hilary
- Trinity
1831–1850
1850–1875
1875–1900
Year | Michaelmas | Hilary | Trinity |
---|---|---|---|
1875–76 | Herbert Paul | George Savery | Alfred Milner[83][13] |
1876–77 | Robert Haddon | Dunbar Barton | Viscount Lymington[n 1][101][13] Arthur Baumann[101][13] |
1877–78 | Robert Horton[102][13] | William St John Brodrick | Robert Germaine |
1878–79 | Nathaniel Micklem | Edward Poulton[103] | F. R. Burrows |
1879–80 | Edward Cook | Richard Dawson | B. R. Wise |
1880–81 | George Curzon | John Sargeaunt | Charles White |
1881–82 | Edward Horsburgh | John Hamilton[104] | A. N. Cumming[101] |
1882–83 | Michael Sadler | W. H. Shaw[92] | Halford Mackinder[105] |
1883–84 | John Pemberton[106] | A. Dyson Williams | William Worsley |
1884–85 | Cosmo Lang[107] | George Vidal[108] | George Bellewes |
1885–86 | Robert Cecil | Anthony Hawkins | C. Emmott |
1886–87 | / Walter Phillips | Charles Green | C. J. Blacker |
1887–88 | H. M. Godfray | A. J. McGregor | A. J. Carlyle[109] |
1888–89 | Arthur Griffith-Boscawen | Spurrier Parmiter | Herbert Snowden |
1889–90 | George Mortimer | George Peel | Frank Coller |
1890–91 | Carl Knaus | William Cozens-Hardy | Lord Ampthill |
1891–92 | A. E. Ripley | John Magee | James Galbraith |
1892–93 | Robert Charles Phillimore | C. H. Eliot | William Lygon |
1893–94 | H. W. Liversidge | Lord Balcarres | F. E. Smith |
1894–95 | Herbert Morrah | Hilaire Belloc | P. J. Macdonell |
1895–96 | R. C. Phillimore (iterum) | John Simon | Archibald Boyd-Carpenter |
1896–97 | Francis Hirst | Robert Johnson | James Cleland |
1897–98 | F. Lenwood | Edmund Bentley | Cyril Garbett |
1898–99 | L. R. F. Oldershaw | John Buchan | Arthur Steel |
1899–1900 | G. M. Gathorne-Hardy | Robert Ensor[105] | Raymond Asquith[n 2][105] |
1900–1925
1925–1950
1950–1975
1975–2000
Year | Michaelmas | Hilary | Trinity |
---|---|---|---|
1975–76 | David Soskin[105] | Andrew Bell[105] | Colin Moynihan[105] |
1976–77 | Richard Norton[105] | Benazir Bhutto[105] | Victoria Schofield[105] |
1977–78 | Damian Green[105] | Nicholas O'Shaughnessy[105] | John Harrison[105] |
1978–79 | Daniel Moylan[105] | Alan Duncan[105] | Philip May[105] |
1979–80 | Michael Crick[105] | Warwick Lightfoot[105] | Nicholas Prettejohn[105] |
1980–81 | Rupert Soames[105] | Andrew Sutcliffe[105] | Alexandra Jones[105] |
1981–82 | William Hague | Kevin Brennan[105] | Paul Thompson[105] |
1982–83 | Christopher Wortley[105] | Hilali Noordeen[105] | Andrew Sullivan[105] |
1983–84 | Neale Stevenson[105] | Malcolm Bull[105] | Melvyn Stride[105] |
1984–85 | Laurence Grafstein[105] | Roland Rudd[105] | Neil Sherlock[105] |
1985–86 | Anthony Goodman[105] | Jeya Wilson[105] | Boris Johnson[105] |
1986–87 | Angus McCullough[105] | Simon Stevens[105][113] | Jessica Pulay[105] |
1987–88 | Anthony Frieze[105] | Michael Gove[105] | Duncan Gray[105] |
1988–89 | Andrew McCulloch[105] | Adam Bruce[105] | Stefan Green[105] |
1989–90 | Diana Gerald[105] | Ed Lazarus[105] | Jeremy Quin[105] |
1990–91 | Melanie Johnson[105] | Ollie Campbell[105] | Damian Hinds[105] |
1991–92 | Nicholas Edgar[105] | Graeme Halkerston | Adrian Gannon |
1992–93 | Christopher Hall | James Robertson | Katherine Wade |
1993–94 | Toby Lewis | Kate Wilson | Peter Gowers |
1994–95 | Jeremy Green | Robert Palmer | David Pinto-Duschinsky |
1995–96 | Matt Guy | Jonathan Wolf | Paul Kenward |
1996–97 | Jenny Carter-Manning | Rob Harrington | Oli Evans |
1997–98 | Sam Gyimah | Clare Dixon | Ellie Blagbrough |
1998–99 | Helen Eastman | Theo Mills | Nicky Black |
1999–2000 | Ben Seifert | Lucy Aitkens | Jeff Bell |
2000–present
Year | Michaelmas | Hilary | Trinity |
---|---|---|---|
2000–01 | Richard Silcock | Nick Mason | Amy Harland |
2001–02 | Neil Mahapatra | Charlotte Keenan | Karen Price |
2002–03 | David Watson | Fraser Campbell | Ambrose Faulks |
2003–04 | Marcus Walker | Edward Tomlinson | Georgina Costa |
2004–05 | Ruzwana Bashir | Laura Poots | Richard Tydeman |
2005–06 | Chris Farmer | Sapana Agrawal | David Powell |
2006–07 | James Wise | Theo Roos | Alex Just |
2007–08 | Luke Tryl | Emily Partington | Ben Tansey |
2008–09 | Josh Roche | Charlie Holt | Corey Dixon |
2009–10 | James Dray | Stuart Cullen | Laura Winwood |
2010–11 | James Kingston | James Langman | Ashvir Sangha |
2011–12 | Isabelle Westbury | Lauren Pringle | Isabel Ernst |
2012–13 | Seung-yoon Lee[lower-alpha 33] | Maria Rioumine | Joseph D'Urso |
2013–14 | Parit Wacharasindhu | Polina Ivanova | Ben Sullivan |
2014–15 | Mayank Banerjee | Lisa Wehden | Olivia Merrett |
2015–16 | Charles Vaughan | Stuart Webber | Robert Harris |
2016–17 | Noah Lachs | Nikolay Koshikov | Michael Li |
2017–18 | Chris Zabilowicz | Laali Vadlamani | Gui Cavalcanti |
2018–19 | Stephen Horvath | Daniel Wilkinson | Genevieve Athis |
2019–20 | Brendan McGrath[n 1][115] | Sara Dube | Mahi Joshi |
2020–21 | Beatrice Barr | James Price | Adam Roble |
Other notable officers
The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury was Union Secretary in Michaelmas 1848.
Harold Macmillan was Secretary of the Union in Hilary 1914, then Junior Treasurer (elected unopposed, which was then very unusual) in Trinity 1914; but for the war he would "almost certainly" have been President.[116]
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was Treasurer in Trinity 1924.[117]
Humayun Kabir was Librarian in 1931.[117]
Jacob Rees-Mogg was Librarian in 1990, losing the election for the presidency to future Education Secretary Damian Hinds.[118]
In fiction
- Simon Kerslake (early 1950s), protagonist of the Jeffrey Archer novel First Among Equals invites sitting Prime Minister Winston Churchill to propose the motion during Eights Week that "This House Would Rather be a Commoner than a Lord". His future rival, The Hon. Charles Seymour listens from the floor and resolves to enter politics also.[119] Archer himself was elected to Standing Committee for one term in 1965.[120]
Notes
- Resigned
- Killed during the First World War
- Killed during the Second World War
- Elected but did not hold office because of war service
- Thomas Frederick Amelius Parry Hodges (1801/2 – 27 October 1880) was also a fellow of his alma mater and was vicar of North Clifton with Harby, Nottinghamshire and of Lyme Regis.[3]
- Charles des Voeux (29 April 1802 – 9 August 1833[4]) was the eldest son of Sir Charles Des Voeux, 2nd Baronet.[5]
- Arthur James Lewis (1800/1 in Cannanore 14 November 1865) later became Advocate-General of Bombay.[6]
- Hassard Hume Dodgson (1803/4 – fl. 1872) was a master of the Common Pleas[7] and was the father-in-law of Charles Edward Pollock.[8]
- Robert Vernon Atherton Hornby (1805/6 – September 1857)[10]
- John Ryle Wood (1806/7 – 9 November 1886) was later vicar of St John-in-Bedwardine, canon of Worcester Cathedral, and Chaplain to the Duke of Cambridge.[11]
- Douglas Smith (1804/5 – 1829)[14]
- John Pearson (1806/7 fl. 1828), previously educated at Eton College, later became a barrister after graduating from Lincoln's Inn[15][16]
- Edward Massie (1805/6 – fl. 1845) was later a chaplain.[19]
- Sinclair attended St Mary Hall, Oxford. Associated with Oriel since 1326, it functioned independently from 1545 to 1902, before being incorporated into Oriel upon the death of its Principal, Drummond Percy Chase. Thus, St Mary Hall's coat of arms is substituted with that of the university itself.
- John Adams (1813 – 18 September 1848), of the landed family of Ansty Hall and the eldest half-brother of novelist Henry Cadwallader Adams, later became a barrister-at-law in the Middle Temple.[20][21]
- Thomas Brancker (1812/3 – 11 November 1871) was later rector of St Mary's Church, Limington and prebendary of Wells Cathedral.[22]
- William Nathaniel Tilson Marsh Lushington Tilson FZS FRGS FRHS (1815/6 – January 1881) was the perpetual curate of St James' Church, Ryde and of St Leonard's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea.[24] His wife was a niece of Charles Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar.[25]
- George Robertson Moncreiff (29 January 1817 – fl. 1884), a younger brother of Sir Henry Wellwood-Moncreiff, 10th Baronet, was HM Inspector of Schools from 1850 to 1873.[27]
- Henry William Sullivan (1814/5 – 22 March 1880) was later rector of Yoxall[29]
- Rev. Charles Thomas Arnold (1817/8 – 13 May 1878) was later an assistant master at Rugby School who wrote articles for the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.[31][32]
- James Timothy Bainbridge Landon (1816/7 – fl. 1877) was later vicar of Ledsham, West Yorkshire and canon of York Minster.[34]
- William Henry Scott (1819/20 – 17 September 1859) was a grandson of Sir Joseph Scott, 1st Baronet.[37][38]
- Henry Master White (1820/1 – fl. 1871) was later vicar of Masbrough and, in the Cape Colony, principal of Diocesan College and Archdeacon of Grahamstown.[40]
- Robert James Simpson (1825/6 – fl. 1886) was vicar of Upton, Buckinghamshire (1867–79), St Clement Danes (1869–79), and St Peter Eltham (1886–?).[43]
- Samuel Joseph Hulme (1823/4 – 12 December 1886) was rector of St Martin's Carfax, Oxford and of Bourton-on-the-Water.[44]
- Charles Holbrow Stanton (1825 – fl. 1876) was later admitted to the bar at Lincoln's Inn and became an barrister in the Oxford circuit.[45][46]
- Walter Congreve (1824/5 – fl. 1850)[47]
- George Raymond Portal (28 February 1827 – 3 April 1889), a brother of Sir Wyndham Portal, 1st Baronet, was later rector of Albury, Surrey and of Burghclere.[48][49]
- John Rowe Kelley Ralph (1824 – 5 December 1885) was later a barrister who served on the North Wales and Chester Circuit.[53][54]
- Edward Bridges Lomer (1827/8 – 6 August 1865) was later a barrister-at-law.[55]
- John FitzGerald (1830/1 – fl. 1857) was later vicar of Borden, Kent and Camden Town.[57]
- Robert Edward Bartlett (1829/30 – fl. 1876) was later vicar of Great Waltham and his son was the brother-in-law of Edward Bruce Alexander.[63][64]
- John Henry Bridges (1851/2 – fl. 1876)[65]
- Thomas Robert Halcombe (1833/4 – 22 July 1880) was later curate of Addlestone.[69]
- Edward Kedington Bennet (1833/4 – fl. 1885) was later rector of Bunwell.[71]
- Alfred Robinson (1840/1 – fl. 1875) was later sub-warden of New College, Oxford.[82]
- The first president of East Asian descent, he is the CEO of Byline, a crowdfunded journalism platform.[114]
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- Sir Godfray Le Quesne, The Times 2 December 2013 (subscription required)
- Eric Anthony Abrahams (1940-2011), National Library of Jamaica
- Eder, Richard (March 6, 1973). "Oxford Union Marks 150th Year With Talk, Naturally". New York Times.
- "Reforming the NHS". Floreat Domus. Balliol College, Oxford. 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
- Profile at HuffPost
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- "More Union Presidents than BME people in cabinet".
- 1940-, Archer, Jeffrey (1993). Rivalen [Roman] (Jub.-ausg ed.). Bergisch Gladbach: Lübbe. ISBN 3404252144. OCLC 75585205.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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- Foster, Joseph (1893). Oxford men & their colleges. Illustrated with portraits & views. Together with the matriculation register, 1880-1892. J. Parker.
- Hollis, Christopher. The Oxford Union. London: Evans, 1965.
- Horne, Alistair (1988). Macmillan Volume I: 1894-1956 (Original ed.). London: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-333-27691-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)