Daniel Woolf
Encyclopedia
Daniel Robert Woolf is a British/Canadian historian
. He is the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University
in Kingston, Ontario
, a position to which he was appointed in January 2009 and took up as of September 1, 2009. He was previously Professor
, Department of History and Classics, at the University of Alberta
in Edmonton
, where he also served as Dean
of the Faculty of Arts
until April 2009.
Born in London
, England
, he is a dual citizen of Canada
and Great Britain
. His parents are Cyril I. Woolf, an otolaryngologist and Margaret M. Woolf, a retired part-time university instructor in English literature
. His uncle is historian Stuart Woolf, and his younger brother is Vancouver
-based architect Jeremy Woolf. Raised in Winnipeg
, Daniel Woolf graduated from St. Paul's High School in 1976. He received a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in History
from Queen's University in 1980, and received a D.Phil. in Modern History from Oxford University in 1983, where he was supervised by the distinguished historian of seventeenth-century England
and Master of St. Peter's College, Oxford, Gerald Aylmer
. Along with historians John Morrill
and Paul Slack
, Woolf would eventually co-edit the festschrift
honouring Aylmer (1993). Among Woolf's contemporaries at St. Peter's was David Eastwood
, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
. Woolf was appointed an honorary fellow of St. Peter's in 2009.
Woolf returned to Canada in 1984 and taught at Queen's University as a SSHRCC postdoctoral fellow (1984–86), Bishop's University
(1986–87), Dalhousie University
(1987–1999), McMaster University
(1999–2002), and the University of Alberta. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
, Society of Antiquaries of London
, and the Royal Historical Society
. In 1996-97 he was a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, New Jersey
, a class that included noted sociologist of science Thomas F. Gieryn
, anthropologist Kay Warren
, and cognitive scientist Mark Turner
. Woolf's major areas of research are in Tudor
and Stuart
British history
and the history of historiography
both in Britain
and globally.
Woolf's administrative career began as Associate Dean
of Graduate Studies at Dalhousie (1998–99), a period including six months as Acting Dean of that Faculty. In 1999 he moved to McMaster University, serving for three years as Dean of its Faculty of Humanities. In 2002, he was appointed Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, succeeding Kenneth Norrie
, who had recently become McMaster's Provost
. Woolf was reappointed in 2007, and commenced his second term in 2008 following a year's administrative leave during which he returned to his research.
Woolf is married to Julie Anne Gordon-Woolf, a health sciences administrator and professional harpist. He has three children from a previous marriage to political science
professor Jane Arscott, Sarah (b 1989), Samuel (b 1990) and David (b 1993).
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 study of all history in time. If the individual is...
. He is the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, a position to which he was appointed in January 2009 and took up as of September 1, 2009. He was previously Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
, Department of History and Classics, at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, where he also served as Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts was one of the four traditional divisions of the teaching bodies of medieval universities, the others being Theology, Law and Medicine...
until April 2009.
Born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he is a dual citizen of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. His parents are Cyril I. Woolf, an otolaryngologist and Margaret M. Woolf, a retired part-time university instructor in English literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. His uncle is historian Stuart Woolf, and his younger brother is Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
-based architect Jeremy Woolf. Raised in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Daniel Woolf graduated from St. Paul's High School in 1976. He received a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from Queen's University in 1980, and received a D.Phil. in Modern History from Oxford University in 1983, where he was supervised by the distinguished historian of seventeenth-century England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Master of St. Peter's College, Oxford, Gerald Aylmer
Gerald Aylmer
Gerald Edward Aylmer was an English historian of seventeenth-century England.Gerald Aylmer was the only child of Edward Arthur Aylmer, from an Anglo-Irish naval family, and Phoebe Evans. A great-uncle was Lord Desborough...
. Along with historians John Morrill
John Morrill
John Francis Morrill , nicknamed "Honest John," was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball who played from 1876-1890. Over the years he played all positions. Although he pitched a couple of games each season, he was primarily an infielder, and had a career batting average of...
and Paul Slack
Paul Slack
Paul Alexander Slack FBA is a British historian. He is a former Principal of Linacre College, Oxford, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, and Professor of Early Modern Social History in the University of Oxford.-Life:...
, Woolf would eventually co-edit the festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
honouring Aylmer (1993). Among Woolf's contemporaries at St. Peter's was David Eastwood
David Eastwood
Professor David Stephen Eastwood is a British academic who became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham on 13 April 2009, taking over from Professor Michael Sterling upon the latter's retirement. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England ,...
, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England
Higher Education Funding Council for England
The Higher Education Funding Council for England is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in the United Kingdom, which has been responsible for the distribution of funding to Universities and Colleges of Higher and Further Education in England since...
. Woolf was appointed an honorary fellow of St. Peter's in 2009.
Woolf returned to Canada in 1984 and taught at Queen's University as a SSHRCC postdoctoral fellow (1984–86), Bishop's University
Bishop's University
Bishop's University is a predominantly undergraduate university in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Bishop's is one of three universities in the province of Quebec that teach primarily in the English language...
(1986–87), Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
(1987–1999), McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
(1999–2002), and the University of Alberta. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
, Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, and the Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
. In 1996-97 he was a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, a class that included noted sociologist of science Thomas F. Gieryn
Thomas F. Gieryn
Thomas F. Gieryn is Rudy Professor of Sociology at Indiana University. He is also the Vice Provost of Faculty and Academic Affairs. In his research, he focuses on philosophy and sociology of science from a cultural, social, historical, and humanistic perspective...
, anthropologist Kay Warren
Kay Warren
Kay Barbara Warren is an American academic anthropologist, known for her extensive research and publications in cultural anthropology studies. Initially trained as an anthropologist specializing in field studies of Latin American and Mesoamerican indigenous cultures, Warren has also written and...
, and cognitive scientist Mark Turner
Mark Turner (cognitive scientist)
Mark Turner is a cognitive scientist, linguist, and author. He is Institute Professor and Professor of Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University, where he was for two years Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences...
. Woolf's major areas of research are in Tudor
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
and Stuart
Stuart period
The Stuart period of English and British history refers to the period between 1603 and 1714, while in Scotland it begins in 1371. These dates coincide with the rule of the Scottish royal House of Stuart, whose first monarch to rule England was James I & VI...
British history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and the history of historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
both in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and globally.
Woolf's administrative career began as Associate Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of Graduate Studies at Dalhousie (1998–99), a period including six months as Acting Dean of that Faculty. In 1999 he moved to McMaster University, serving for three years as Dean of its Faculty of Humanities. In 2002, he was appointed Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, succeeding Kenneth Norrie
Kenneth Norrie
Kenneth Harold Norrie is a Canadian economic historian specializing in the economy of Western Canada at the turn of the century.Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Norrie received his undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan and his PhD from Yale University...
, who had recently become McMaster's Provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
. Woolf was reappointed in 2007, and commenced his second term in 2008 following a year's administrative leave during which he returned to his research.
Woolf is married to Julie Anne Gordon-Woolf, a health sciences administrator and professional harpist. He has three children from a previous marriage to political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
professor Jane Arscott, Sarah (b 1989), Samuel (b 1990) and David (b 1993).