Biographies

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Gaitskell, Hugh Todd Naylor (1906–63). Labour politician. Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1950–51. Leader of the Opposition, 1955–63.

Galsworthy, John (1867–1933). Author and playwright. Novels include the three trilogies about the Forsyte family, The Forsyte Saga (1922), A Modern Comedy (1929) and End of the Chapter (1935). His plays include The Silver Box. He was awarded the Order of Merit in 1929 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932.

Galt, John (1779–1839). Scottish novelist.

Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (1869–1948). Indian lawyer and political activist for independence, abolition of the caste system, women's rights, religious toleration, and alleviation of poverty.

Gardiner, Charles Wrey (1901–1981) Author, poet, editor and publisher. Editor of Poetry Quarterly 1939–1953.

Gardner, Dame Helen Louise (1908.–1986). Literary scholar, chiefly associated with the works of John Donne and T S Eliot. Merton Professor of English at Oxford, 1966–75.

Gardner, Mrs Jack, neé Isabella Stewart (1840–1925). American art collector and hostess.

Garibaldi, Giuseppe (1807–1882). Italian revolutionary and soldier of the Risorgimento. Prominent leader in the military campaigns that brought about the unification of Italy.

Garnett, Constance Clara, née Black (1861–1946). First English translator of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Anton Chekhov. Her translations of nineteenth-century Russian classics first introduced them to a wide public in the English-speaking countries. Married Edward Garnett, 1889.

Garnett, Edward William (1868–1937). Publisher's editor and writer. Editor successively for Unwin, Heinemann, Duckworth, John Lane, and Jonathan Cape. Encouraged and influenced Joseph Conrad, D H Lawrence and others.

Garrod, Heathcote William (1878–1960). Literary and classical scholar. Associated with Merton College, Oxford from 1904 to his death. Books include, Oxford Book of Latin Verse (1912); Manilius II, Translation and Commentary (1911); Wordsworth; Lectures and Essays (1923 & 1927); Byron (1923); Coleridge, Prose and Poetry (1924); Keats (1926); Poetical works of John Keats (1939); Donne Prose and Poetry (1946).

Garth, Sir Samuel (1661–1719). Physician and poet. His attempts to establish a dispensary for the poor were defeated when apothecaries raised the price of drugs; in retaliation he wrote his satiric poem, 'The Dispensary' (1699) in which other targets included Sir Richard Blackmore.

Gatty, Hester (d. 1973). Married to Siegfried Sassoon 1933–1945.

Gaukrodger, George Warrington (1877–1938). Cricketer. Appeared as batsman and wicket keeper for Worcestershire in more than 100 matches between 1900 and 1910.

George V (1865–1936). King of England etc, 1910–1936.

George, Daniel: pen name of Daniel George Bunting (1890–1967), author, critic, anthologist and publisher's reader.

Gide, André Paul Guillaume (1869–1951). French author and diarist. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, 1947.

Gielgud, Sir (Arthur) John (1904–2000). One of the greatest of all English actors, best known as a Shakespearean but also celebrated for his work in Wilde, Chekhov and modern plays.

Gilbert, Anthony: pen name of Lucy Beatrice Malleson (1899–1973), author of crime fiction, much of it featuring her main protagonist, Arthur Crook, a vulgar London lawyer whom she created as a deliberate contrast to the aristocratic sleuths of her immediate predecessors. 

Gilbert, Stuart (1883–1969). Literary scholar and translator. His translations into English include works by Malraux, Saint-Exupéry, Simenon, Cocteau, Camus, and Sartre. He also helped in the translation of Joyce's Ulysses into French.

Gilbert, Sir William Schwenck (1836–1911) Librettist, playwright, comic poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with the composer Arthur Sullivan on the Savoy Operas in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Gilchrist, Roy (1934–2001). West Indian cricketer; a temperamental but highly effective fast bowler. His test career, which began in 1957 came to a stop in 1959 when he was sent home from the WI tour of India and Pakistan.

Giles, Frank Thomas Robertson (1919–2019) Journalist. Editor of The Sunday Times 1981–83. Married 1946 Lady Katherine Pamela Sackville.

Gilligan, Arthur Edward Robert (1894–1976). Cricketer. Played 1919–1932 for Cambridge University, Surrey, Sussex, and England. All rounder: right-hand bat and right-arm fast-medium. Later a radio commentator. President of MCC, 1967.

Gissing, George (1857–1903). Novelist. In his own times he was ranked by some alongside Meredith and even Hardy.

Gladstone, William Ewart (1809–1898). Politician. Originally a high Tory, later a Liberal. Prime Minister, 1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886, and 1892–1894.

Glanville, Stephen Ranulph Kingdon (1900–1956). Egyptologist. Honorary Keeper of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge from 1950. Provost of King's College, Cambridge, 1954–1956.

Glass, Douglas (1901–1978). Photographer. His work preserved in the National Portrait Gallery includes photographs of Sir Michael Tippett, Elizabeth Taylor, Sir Cecil Beaton, and John Masefield.

Glenconner, Pamela Winefred Tennant, née Paget (1903–1989). Lady Glenconner. Married Christopher Grey Tennant, 2nd Baron Glenconner.

Glyn, Sir Anthony Geoffrey Leo Simon, né Geoffrey Leo Simon Davson (1922–1998). Writer. Adopted the pen name Anthony Glyn in honour of his grandmother, the novelist Elinor Glyn, and later officially changed his name by deed poll. His biography of his grandmother was published in 1955.

Glyn, Elinor, née Sutherland (1864–1943). Author of romantic novels, considered risqué in their day. Her most famous book was Three Weeks (1907) dealing with the seduction (for the highest possible motives) of a young English aristocrat by the queen of a Balkan state.

Goddard, Rayner (1877–1971). Baron Goddard. Lawyer. Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1946 to 1958, known for his severe sentencing and reactionary views.

Godden, (Margaret) Rumer (1907–1998). Writer of books for adults and children. Her sister Jon Godden (1907–1984) was also a writer. Both sisters were born and raised in India, and their works frequently reflect this background.

Godwin, Edward William (1833–1886). Architect. Early perpetrator of Victorian Gothic buildings. Father of Edward Gordon Craig.

Goering (or Göring), Hermann (1893–1946). Leading Nazi.

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749–1842). German poet, playwright, novelist and scientist.

Golding, Louis (1895–1958). Writer of novels, short stories, essays and travel books. His fame rests on his best-selling 1932 novel Magnolia Street depicting the relationships between Jews and Gentiles in a district of Manchester in the early years of the twentieth century.

Gollancz, Sir Victor (1893–1967). Publisher. Master at Repton School, 1916–18; founded his publishing firm in 1928; his authors included Daphne du Maurier, Elizabeth Bowen, and Dorothy L Sayers. Founded the Left Book Club in 1936.

Goodall, Joseph (1760–1840) Head Master of Eton, 1802–1809; Provost, 1809–1840.

Goodhart, Arthur Lehman (1891–1978). American lawyer and academic. Corpus Professor of Jurisprudence, Oxford, 1931–1951; Master, University College, Oxford, 1951–1963.

Goodhart, Arthur Murray, (died 1941). Eton master, 1889–1924. His obituary notice in The Times is headed 'Music and Football at Eton.' He played the Wall game until in his sixties.

Gordon, George Stuart, 1881–1942. Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford, 1922–1928, President of Magdalen College, Oxford, Professor of Poetry, Vice-chancellor, 1938–1941.

Gore, Charles (1853–1932). Anglican priest. A liberal high-churchman, a strong advocate of social reform. Bishop of Worcester, 1902–1905, Birmingham, 1905–1911 and Oxford, 1911–1919.

Gore, Muriel. Not identified. Two Muriel Gores of minor note flourished at this time, one an eminent statistician, the other a writer of children's fiction. The latter seems the more likely candidate, but this is conjecture.

Gore-Booth, Paul Henry (1904–1984). Baron Gore-Booth. Diplomat. High Commissioner in India, 1960–1965; Permanent Under-Secretary of State, FO, 1965–1969; Head of HM Diplomatic Service, 1968–1969. President, Sherlock Holmes Society of London, 1967–1979.

Gosse, Sir Edmund William (1849–1928). Poet, author and critic, the son of Philip Henry Gosse (1810–1888), naturalist and popular scientist, whose puritanical religious convictions were described in Edmund Gosse's Father and Son (1907). Associated with Swinburne, J A Symonds and André Gide.

Gover, Alfred Richard (1908–2001). Cricketer. Fast bowler for Surrey (1928–1948) and England (1936–1946). Later ran a famous coaching school in Wandsworth.

Gow, Andrew Sydenham Farrar (1888–1978). Eton master 1914–1925; Trinity College Cambridge: Lecturer, 1925–1946; Tutor, 1929–1942; Praelector, 1946–1951; University Lecturer, 1925–1951; Brereton Reader in Classics, 1947–1951. Publications include: A E Housman: A Sketch and List of his Writings, 1936; Theocritus (text, translation, and commentary), 2 vols, 1950.

Gower, John (c. 1330–1408). Poet, a contemporary of William Langland and a friend of Chaucer. He is remembered for three works: the Mirroir de l'Omme, Vox Clamantis, and Confessio Amantis, three long poems written in French, Latin, and English respectively, all sharing common political and moral themes.

Grace, Edward Mills (1841–1911). Cricketer. Batsman, Gloucestershire (1862–1896) and England (1880). Brother of W G Grace.

Grace, William Gilbert (1848–1915). Cricketer, r. h. bat and medium r. a. bowler. On at least one occasion he also kept wicket, in a Test against Australia in 1884, so that the usual wicket-keeper, Alfred Lyttelton (uncle of GWL), could have a bowl. The most famous cricketer of his day, and still regarded as one of the giants of the game.

Grahame, Kenneth (1859–1932). Scottish writer and banking official. Secretary to the Bank of England, 1898–1908. Books include Pagan Papers, 1893; The Golden Age, 1895; Dream Days, 1898; The Wind in the Willows, 1908.

Gransden, Karl Watts ('Ken') (1925–1998). Reviewer and lecturer. Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts, British Museum 1951–1957. Lecturer in English, Warwick University 1964–1991.

Grant, (William) Douglas Beattie (1921–1969). Professor of English Literature, Toronto University, 1958–1960. Professor of American Literature, University of Leeds, 1960.

Granville-Barker, Harley (1877–1946). Actor, playwright, producer and scholar. His productions of and prefaces to Shakespeare were highly influential in the first part of the 20th century.

Graveney, Thomas William (1927–2015). Cricketer, classical r. h. bat. President of MCC, 2004–2005. England test player, 1951–1969. Played for Gloucestershire, Queensland and Worcestershire between 1948 and 1972.

Graves, Robert von Ranke 1895 –1985) poet, scholar, translator and novelist.

Green, Peter Morris (1924–). Academic, author and translator. Professor of Classics, University of Texas at Austin, 1972–1997. His two books about Kenneth Grahame are in contrast to the rest of his numerous publications, which mainly deal with classical Greek and Roman history and literature.

Greene, Sir Hugh Carleton (1910–1987). Joined BBC as head of German Service, 1940, and rose through the Corporation to become Director-General, 1960–1969. Chairman of the family brewing company, Greene, King & Sons, 1971–1978.

Gregory, Isabella Augusta, née Persse (1852–1932), Lady Gregory. Irish writer. Co-founder with W B Yeats and others of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.

Grenfell, Joyce Irene, née Phipps (1910–1979). Actress, revue artist and singer. Married Reggie Grenfell in 1929.

Grenfell, Julian Henry Francis (1888–1915). Soldier and poet of World War I.

Grenfell, Reginald Pascoe (1903–1993). Accountant. Husband of Joyce Grenfell.

Grey, Sir Edward (1862–1933). Viscount Grey of Fallodon. Foreign Secretary in the Asquith government which took Britain into World War I. On the eve of war he made the famous prophetic remark, 'The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our life-time.'

Grillparzer, Franz Seraphicus (1791–1872). Austrian playwright and poet.

Grimond, Joseph ('Jo') (1913–1993). Baron Grimond. Leader of the Liberal Party, 1956–1967.

Grimsditch, Herbert Borthwick (1898–1971). Freelance writer on literature. Contributed to The Times and the DNB.

Grisewood, Frederick Henry ('Freddie') (1888–1972). Broadcaster. First chairman of BBC radio's Any Questions. Cousin of Harman Grisewood.

Grisewood, Harman Joseph Gerard (1906–1997). Broadcaster and broadcasting executive. Worked for the BBC from 1929 to 1964. Controller of the Third Programme, 1948–1952. Director of the Spoken Word, 1952–1956. Chief Assistant to the Director General, 1956–1964.

Gromyko, Andrei Andreyevich (1909–1989). Soviet politician and diplomat. Foreign Minister 1957–1985 and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 1985–1988.

Grouchy, Emmanuel (1766–1847). French soldier. As noted by GWL (9 June 1960) he has been blamed by many historians (and by Bonaparte) for failing to crush Blücher's Prussian forces.

Grover, Sir Anthony Charles (1907–1981). Coldstream Guards, 1940; served in Italy, 1942–1944; rose to rank of Major. Underwriting Member of Lloyd's, 1936; Deputy Chairman, 1958; Chairman, 1959–1960.

Guedalla, Philip (1889–1944). Historian and essayist. Publications include Ignes Fatui, a Book of Parodies (1911); The Partition of Europe, 1715–1815 (1914); The Second Empire (1922); Conquistador (1927); Gladstone and Palmerston (1928); The Queen and Mr Gladstone (1933); The Hundred Days (1934); Mr Churchill: A Portrait (1941); Middle East, a Study in Air Power (1944).

Guinness, Sir Alec (1914–2000). Actor. Unusual among great English actors in being as eminent in the cinema as in the theatre.

Gully, John (1783–1863). Prize-fighter, racehorse owner and Member of Parliament. As a bare-knuckle boxer and then racehorse owner made enough money to enter Parliament. MP for Pontefract, 1832–37.

Gully, William Court (1835–1909). 1st Viscount Selby. Speaker of the House of Commons, 1895–1905.

Gwenn, Edmund (1877–1959). Actor. Began his stage career in 1895. Bernard Shaw approved of his acting and cast him in six of his plays including the first production of Man and Superman. Later a successful character actor in Hollywood films, winning an Oscar for his performance in Miracle on 34th Street. Though GWL (25 January 1956) alludes to recent stage performances, Gwenn does not seem to have acted onstage in Britain after the 1930s.