Sir Anthony Seldon | |
---|---|
Born | Anthony Francis Seldon 2 August 1953[1] Stepney, London, England |
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Worcester College, Oxford (BA) London School of Economics (PhD) Polytechnic of Central London (MBA) King's College London (PGCE) |
Occupations |
|
Known for | Master of Epsom College Former master of Wellington College Former vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham |
Spouses | Joanna Pappworth
(m. 1982; died 2016)Sarah Sayer (m. 2022) |
Children | 3 |
Father | Arthur Seldon |
Website | anthonyseldon |
Sir Anthony Francis Seldon FRSA FRHistS FKC (born 2 August 1953)[1] is a British contemporary historian and educator. As an author, he is known for his political biographies of consecutive British Prime Ministers, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Seldon is the author or editor of more than 45 books on contemporary history, politics and education.
He has been headmaster of independent schools Wellington College, Epsom College and Brighton College.[2] In 2009, he set up The Wellington Academy, the first state school to carry the name of its founding independent school.[3] He was vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham from 2015 to 2020,[4] when he was succeeded by James Tooley.[5]
He was the co-founder and first director of the Centre for Contemporary British History, is the co-founder of Action for Happiness,[6] is a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company,[7] and is on the board of a number of charities and educational bodies.
He is honorary historical adviser to 10 Downing Street and a member of the First World War Centenary Culture Committee. Seldon was knighted in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to education and modern political history.[8][9]