author
H. A. L. (Herbert Albert Laurens) Fisher
1865–1940
A historian, educator, and Liberal politician, he moved easily between scholarship and public life. Best known for his sweeping histories and for shaping British education policy during and after the First World War, he wrote with both breadth and clarity.
1 Audiobook
Frederick William Maitland, Downing Professor of the Laws of England A Biographical Sketch
by H. A. L. (Herbert Albert Laurens) Fisher
About the author
Born in London on 21 March 1865, Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher was educated at Winchester and New College, Oxford. He became a fellow of New College and built his early reputation as a historian and lecturer, admired for making large stretches of European history readable and vivid.
Fisher’s career reached well beyond the university. He served as vice-chancellor of the University of Sheffield and later entered national politics as a Liberal, becoming President of the Board of Education in David Lloyd George’s government from 1916 to 1922. In that role, he was closely associated with major education reform in Britain.
Alongside his public work, Fisher remained an influential writer and academic figure. His books included studies of Napoleon, European history, and the history of England, and he later became Warden of New College, Oxford. He died in London on 18 April 1940.