James Wycliffe Headlam

Born on 24 December 1863, he was educated at Eton, King's College, Cambridge, and the University of Berlin. He began his career in academia, serving as a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, and later as Professor of Greek and Ancient History at Queen's College, London. His early work grew out of classical scholarship, but his interests widened over time toward modern German and diplomatic history.

During and after the First World War, he moved into government service. Archival records describe his work in wartime propaganda, the Political Intelligence Department, and the British delegation at the Paris Peace Conference, after which he became the Foreign Office's Historical Adviser. He is especially associated with questions surrounding the postwar settlement in Europe, including work connected with Danzig and the Treaty of Versailles.

He was known as James Wycliffe Headlam until 1918, when he became James Headlam-Morley by royal licence. He married the pianist and composer Else Sonntag, and they had two children, including the historian Agnes Headlam-Morley. He was knighted in 1929 for public service and died later that year, on 6 September 1929.