Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh

Born in London on September 5, 1861, Walter Alexander Raleigh grew up in a family headed by a Congregationalist minister and was educated in both London and Edinburgh before studying at University College London and King’s College, Cambridge. He began his academic career teaching in Aligarh, India, and later held major posts at University College Liverpool and the University of Glasgow.

Raleigh became especially well known after his appointment in 1904 as Oxford’s first Professor of English Literature. At a time when English was still establishing itself as a university subject, he was one of the figures who helped give it prestige and public appeal. Alongside his teaching, he wrote widely on literature and style, and also published poetry and essays.

He was knighted in 1911 and remained an influential man of letters until his death in Oxford on May 13, 1922. Remembered for his lively criticism and broad literary interests, he stands as an important early voice in the modern academic study of English literature.