John Campbell Biography
Name: John Campbell
Born: 1947
Nationality: British
Education & Early Life
- Educated at Charterhouse, a prestigious independent school in England.
- Went on to the University of Edinburgh, where he earned a Ph.D. in Politics in 1975. His doctoral work was on Lloyd George and the period 1922-31, which later became the basis for one of his books.
Career & Major Works
John Campbell writes biographies and political histories, mostly focusing on prominent British politicians. Some of his major works and contributions include:
| Subject | Work / Title |
|---|---|
| Lloyd George | Lloyd George: The Goat in the Wilderness, 1922-31 (1977) |
| F. E. Smith (1st Earl of Birkenhead) | F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead (1983) |
| Roy Jenkins | Roy Jenkins: A Biography (1983) and later Roy Jenkins: A Well-Rounded Life (2014) |
| Aneurin Bevan | Nye Bevan and the Mirage of British Socialism (1987) |
| Edward Heath | Edward Heath: A Biography (1993) — this book won the NCR Book Award in 1994. |
| Margaret Thatcher | Two-volume biography: The Grocer’s Daughter (2000) and The Iron Lady (2003). Also an abridged one-volume version published later. |
| Other works | If Love Were All … the Story of Frances Stevenson & David Lloyd George (2006), Pistols at Dawn: Two Hundred Years of Political Rivalry from Pitt & Fox to Blair & Brown (2009) |
Honors & Recognition
- His biography of Edward Heath won the NCR Book Award in 1994.
- His later work Roy Jenkins: A Well-Rounded Life was shortlisted for both the Samuel Johnson Prize and the Costa Biography Award in 2014, and won the Biography category at the 2014 Political Book Awards.
Other Contributions & Miscellany
- Campbell has occasionally served as a consultant for adaptations: for example, he consulted on the 2009 production Margaret, and on the 2012 film The Iron Lady.
- He has grandchildren, step-children, etc. (i.e. has a family) but keeps personal life relatively private.