Sir Colin Renshaw Lucas, (born 25 August 1940) is a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and university administrator. From 1997 to 2004, he was the

Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford is the chief executive and leader of the University of Oxford. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford (formally known as The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chancel ...

. In May 2006, he was appointed Chair of the Board of the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...

for a four-year term ending 2010.

Early life and education

Lucas was born in Egypt, the son of Frank Renshaw Lucas and Janine Charpentier. He was educated at

Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish includes the hamlets of Nether Coombe and Lower Clatcombe. T ...

and at

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, situated on Turl Street in central Oxford. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Fleming, t ...

Academic career

After graduation, he took a post as a lecturer at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Firth C ...

(1965–69), and then later at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...

(1970–73). He became a Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided th ...

in 1973. In 1990, he took a post at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

as Professor of History, where he became chair of the History Department in 1992 and Dean of the Division of

Social Sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the o ...

in 1993. He returned to Oxford in 1994 to become Master of Balliol College (1994–2000). Lucas was the first Oxford Vice-Chancellor to serve for seven years (1997–2004), during which time he implemented many changes in the University governance structure, such as the adoption of external members to the University's Council, a radical restructuring of the committee system, divisionalism of academic departments, the establishment of a University Committee on Access and the adoption of new resource allocation and financial management systems. On his retirement as Vice-Chancellor, Lucas was appointed Warden of

Rhodes House Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* ...

, Oxford, responsible for the running of the

Rhodes Scholarships The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

(2004–2009). He had previously served as a Trustee of the

Rhodes Trust Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* on ...

Personal life

Lucas is the godfather of the politician

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

. Lucas is married to Lady Marie-Louise.

Honours

In 2002, he was appointed

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...

for his services to

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

. He has been a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher educationa ...

(FRHistS) since 1973. He was awarded an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

) in 1990, Chevalier Ordre du Mérite in 1994, and

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

in 1998 (Officier in 2005). He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communi ...

in 2004. In 2013, he was awarded a

Doctor honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad h ...

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. In 2014. he was awarded a

Bronze Bauhinia Star The Bronze Bauhinia Star (, BBS) is the lowest rank in Order of the Bauhinia Star in Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system of the Order of the British Empire after the transfer of sovereignty to People's Republic of C ...

by Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Portraits of Sir Colin Lucas hang at

and at

, Oxford (the latter by

Bob Tulloch Bob Tulloch (born 1950) is a British portrait painter whose portraits hang in the National Portrait Gallery, London, National Portrait Gallery in London, several colleges of the University of Oxford, and elsewhere. He was educated in London, at Ru ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Colin Renshaw 1940 births Living people People educated at Sherborne School Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Academics of the University of Sheffield Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford Masters of Balliol College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Wardens of Rhodes House Oxford University Press people Knights Bachelor Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Bronze Bauhinia Star British expatriates in Egypt Members of the American Philosophical Society