Michael Meredith Swann, Baron Swann,
(1 March 1920 – 22 September 1990) was a British
molecular
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...
and
cell biologist. He was appointed chairman of the BBC, awarded a knighthood and subsequently a life peerage.
Early life
Swann was born in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, the eldest of three children of pathologist Meredith Blake Robson Swann and his wife, Marjorie Dykes.
Swann was educated at
King's College School, Cambridge, and then at
Winchester College
Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...
, a boarding
independent school
A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
for boys in the city of
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, where he was an
Exhibitioner
An exhibition is a type of historical financial scholarship or bursary awarded in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Purpose
An exhibition is historically a small financial award or grant, of lower status than a "scholarship", given to an individu ...
. He then studied zoology at
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...
, where he graduated MA and PhD.
Life and works
He served with the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and being
Mentioned in Dispatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...
. From 1946 Swann lectured in zoology at the University of Cambridge, his alma mater.
He moved to
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...
as professor of natural history in 1952. In 1953 he was elected a fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...
. His proposers were
James Ritchie,
John Gaddum, Sir
Maurice Yonge and
Harold Callan. He won the society's Makdougall Brisbane Prize for 1970/72. In 1962 he was elected a fellow of the
Royal Society of London
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
.
His academic work was on the mechanisms of
cell division
Cell division is the process by which a parent cell (biology), cell divides into two daughter cells. Cell division usually occurs as part of a larger cell cycle in which the cell grows and replicates its chromosome(s) before dividing. In eukar ...
and
fertilisation
Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a zygote and initiate its development into a new individual organism or of ...
. He used cell polarisation methods to understand the changes in molecular organisation of the
mitotic spindle
In cell biology, the spindle apparatus is the cytoskeletal structure of eukaryotic cells that forms during cell division to separate sister chromatids between daughter cells. It is referred to as the mitotic spindle during mitosis, a process ...
. With his collaborator
Murdoch Mitchison
John Murdoch Mitchison (11 June 1922, Oxford – 17 March 2011, Edinburgh) was a British zoologist.
Background
Family
Mitchison was the son of the Labour politician Dick Mitchison and his wife, the writer Naomi (née Haldane). The biolog ...
, he found evidence in support of a new theory of cell division. He collaborated with
Victor Rothschild in experiments on changes in membrane structure during fertilisation.
From 1965 to 1974, he was the principal and vice-chancellor of
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...
. In 1968, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of science from the University of Leicester. During his term as principal, he encountered difficulty with students led by
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
, who had unusually been elected as
rector of the university. He received a
knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
in the
1972 Birthday Honours, having the honour conferred by
the Queen herself on 5 December 1972.
He was chairman of the governors of the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
from 1973 to 1980 having been appointed by Conservative Prime Minister
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...
, who admired his strong leadership during student protests at Edinburgh University. He was created a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
as Baron Swann, of
Coln St Denys in the
County of Gloucestershire on 16 February 1981. In 1980 Swann became
Provost of
Oriel College
Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, ...
, although he resigned after nine months, and was also Chancellor of the
University of York
The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...
from 1979 until his death. In 1981, he was made an honorary fellow of
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...
.
In 1969 he led the Swann Report "on The Flow into Employment of Scientists, Engineers and Technologists". In 1985 he led the Swann Report "Education for All", a report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Children from Ethnic Minority Groups.
He died in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
on 22 September 1990.
Legacy
The Michael Swann Building of the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
at
Kings Buildings is named after him. It continues to be used for work on cell division and fertilisation to this day.
Family
In 1942, he married Tess Gleadowe (died 2009). They had two sons and two daughters.
Several of Swann's relatives were prominent in their own rights:
*His brother
Hugh Swann was cabinet maker to
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
.
*His uncle Brigadier
Vivian Dykes was chief combined secretary to the British Joint Staff Mission in Washington in 1942.
*His stepfather was Sir
Sydney Castle Roberts, secretary of Cambridge University Press, an author and vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
*His brother-in-law was Monsignor
Graham Leonard, who was the Bishop of London before converting to Roman Catholicism.
References
External links
Entry on "BBC Key Facts"Another article on the BBCMichael Swann Building, University of Edinburgh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swann, Michael
1920 births
1990 deaths
Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
BBC governors
Chairmen of the BBC
British biologists
Chancellors of the University of York
Swann. Michael
Fellows of the Royal Society
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Honorary Fellows of Trinity College Dublin
Knights Bachelor
Crossbench life peers
People educated at Winchester College
Principals of the University of Edinburgh
Provosts of Oriel College, Oxford
Scientists from Cambridge
20th-century British biologists
Life peers created by Elizabeth II