Harold John Blackham (31 March 1903 – 23 January 2009) was a leading British

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

philosopher, writer and educationalist. He has been described as the "progenitor of modern humanism in Britain".

Biography

Blackham was born in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands C ...

, on 31 March 1903, to Harriet Mary (1872–1955) and Walter Roland Blackham (1875–1911). His siblings were Olive Dingle Blackham (1899–2002), Lorna Langstone Blackham (1900–1992), Sylvia Kerslake Blackham (1907–2000), and Joyce Maude Blackham (1909–1993). Blackham left school following the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, and became a farm labourer, before gaining a place at

Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

to study divinity and history. He acquired a teaching diploma and was the divinity master at Doncaster Grammar School. Joining the

Ethical Union Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious be ...

, Blackham drew the organisation further away from religious forms and played an important part in its formation into the

British Humanist Association Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious b ...

, becoming the BHA's first Executive Director in 1963. He was also a founding member of the

International Humanist and Ethical Union Humanists International (known as the International Humanist and Ethical Union, or IHEU, from 1952–2019) is an international non-governmental organisation championing secularism and human rights, motivated by secular humanist values. Foun ...

(IHEU), IHEU secretary (1952–1966), and received the IHEU's International Humanist Award in 1974, and the Special Award for Service to World Humanism in 1978. In addition he was one of the signatories to the

Humanist Manifesto ''Humanist Manifesto'' is the title of three manifestos laying out a humanist worldview. They are the original '' Humanist Manifesto'' (1933, often referred to as Humanist Manifesto I), the ''Humanist Manifesto II'' (1973), and ''Humanism and I ...

. During his time at the Ethical Union/BHA, Blackham co-founded the

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is a professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists practising in the United Kingdom. History Originally founded in 1977 as the British Association for Counselling, aide ...

, and as chairman of the Friends of Austria assisted Austrian children fleeing the Nazis to come to the UK. His book, ''Six Existentialist Thinkers'', became a popular university textbook. In 1977, Blackham retired to the

Wye valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...

. He suffered a stroke in 2000, and on 23 January 2009, he died at a care home in Brockhampton, Herefordshire, aged 105.

Publications

*Bury, JB, with an historical epilogue by HJ Blackham. ''A History of Freedom of Thought'' (2001). University Press of the Pacific. *''The Future of our Past: from Ancient Greece to Global Village'' (1996). Prometheus Books. *''The Fable as Literature'' (1985). London: Continuum International Publishing Group - Athlone. *''Education for Personal Autonomy: Inquiry into the School's Resources for Furthering the Personal Development of Pupils'' (editor) (1977). London: Bedford Sq. Press. *''Humanists and Quakers: an exchange of letters'' (with Harold Loukes) (1969). Friends Home Service. *''Humanism'' (1968). London: Penguin. (published by Harvester in hardback, 1976. ) *''Religion in a Modern Society'' (1966). London: Constable *''Objections to Humanism'' (editor) (1963). London: Constable. (published in paperback by Penguin, 1965, ) *''The Human Tradition'' (1953). London: Routledge. *''Six Existentialist Thinkers'' (1952). London: Routledge. *''Living as a Humanist'' (1950)

External links

BHA obituary of HJ BlackhamBBC biography of HJ Blackham
by Jim Herrick *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackham, Harold John British humanists British centenarians People from Birmingham, West Midlands 1903 births 2009 deaths Alumni of the University of Birmingham British male writers 20th-century British historians People from West Bromwich Men centenarians Male non-fiction writers

Biography

Publications

See also

External links

References