John Henry Whyte
Encyclopedia
John Henry Whyte was an Irish
historian
, political scientist
and author of books on Northern Ireland
, divided societies and on church-state
affairs in Ireland.
into a well known County Down
family recorded in the area since at least 1713. His family is said to have came to Ireland from South Wales
with Strongbow
in 1170 and settled in Leinster
. He was educated locally, at Ampleforth
and Oriel College Oxford
, from which he took a degree in Modern History
in 1949. Having continued studies some two years later he was awarded a B.Litt
degree for further research which was to form the nebulus of his first book which was to be published in 1958.
Whyte undertook national service
during the 1950s and worked as a history teacher in his old school before being appointed lecturer in Modern History at Makerere University
, Uganda
. In 1962 he returned to Ireland having been appointed first 'lecturer in empirical politics' at then expanding University College Dublin
(UCD). In 1966, he wed fellow academic Dr. Jean Murray and moved to Queen's University Belfast to undertake further studies.
gives an account as to the clerical politics prevalent at the time in UCD which caused Whyte's untimely departure:
At Queen's Whyte was to spend seventeen years as lecturer and reader, and from 1982 Professor of Irish Politics during which he sought to bring together political scientists from across the Island and develop an All-Ireland political science fellowship. From 1973 to 1974 he worked at as a research fellow at Harvard's
Centre for International Affairs, and in 1975 he helped lead a team of reaserchers investigating the Northern Ireland conflict, then at its height
. He also worked as research fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies during the late 1970s and was elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy
in 1977, serving as Vice President from 1989 to 1990.
for an academic conference
in 1990.
and Brendan O'Leary
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
historian
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...
, political scientist
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...
and author of books on Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, divided societies and on church-state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
affairs in Ireland.
Early life
Whyte was born in 1928 in what had recently become Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
into a well known County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
family recorded in the area since at least 1713. His family is said to have came to Ireland from South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
with Strongbow
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke , Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland . Like his father, he was also commonly known as Strongbow...
in 1170 and settled in Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
. He was educated locally, at Ampleforth
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...
and Oriel College Oxford
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...
, from which he took a degree in Modern History
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
in 1949. Having continued studies some two years later he was awarded a B.Litt
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
degree for further research which was to form the nebulus of his first book which was to be published in 1958.
Whyte undertook national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
during the 1950s and worked as a history teacher in his old school before being appointed lecturer in Modern History at Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. In 1962 he returned to Ireland having been appointed first 'lecturer in empirical politics' at then expanding University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
(UCD). In 1966, he wed fellow academic Dr. Jean Murray and moved to Queen's University Belfast to undertake further studies.
Dispute with the church and move to Belfast
In his book, Preventing the Future: Why Was Ireland So Poor for So Long?, Whyte's successor as Professor of Politics at UCD Tom GarvinTom Garvin
Tom Christopher Garvin is an Irish political scientist and historian. He is Professor Emeritus of Politics in University College Dublin. He retired from lecturing duties in August 2008. He is an alumnus of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.Garvin is a graduate...
gives an account as to the clerical politics prevalent at the time in UCD which caused Whyte's untimely departure:
At Queen's Whyte was to spend seventeen years as lecturer and reader, and from 1982 Professor of Irish Politics during which he sought to bring together political scientists from across the Island and develop an All-Ireland political science fellowship. From 1973 to 1974 he worked at as a research fellow at Harvard's
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Centre for International Affairs, and in 1975 he helped lead a team of reaserchers investigating the Northern Ireland conflict, then at its height
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. He also worked as research fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies during the late 1970s and was elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
in 1977, serving as Vice President from 1989 to 1990.
Later career
In 1984 he returned to University College Dublin, then faced with stringent fiscal cuts and wider problems in Irish third-level education. In his second period at UCD, Whyte led the Department, which he now headed, through a troubled period of financial cuts while supervising a reorganisation of the undergraduate curriculum. In his last years at UCD he completed his seminal work, the widely regarded Interpreting Northern Ireland. Whyte finished correcting the proofs and compiling the index of this work only a week before his death. He died whilst on his way to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for an academic conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
in 1990.
The John Whyte Trust Fund
Following his death Whyte's family, friends, and colleagues set up the John Whyte Trust Fund to continue Whyte's work, honour his memory and encourage "informed dialogue and interaction at graduate level among people who are likely to be leaders and opinion-shapers". To date the fund has awarded one fully paid scholarship and a number of part-paid scholarships as well as essay prizes annually. The fund also hosts an annual John Whyte Memorial Lecture. Speakers have included Paul BewPaul Bew
Paul Anthony Elliott Bew, Baron Bew of Donegore is a Northern Irish historian. He has worked at Queen's University Belfast since 1979, and is currently Professor of Irish Politics, a position he has held since 1991.-Academic career:...
and Brendan O'Leary
Brendan O'Leary
Brendan O'Leary is an Irish political scientist, who is Lauder Professor of Political Science and Director of the Penn Program in Ethnic Conflict at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was formerly Director of the now-closed Solomon Asch Center for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict...
.
Trustees
The Trust Fund's trustees are as follows:- Professor Attracta Ingram, University College Dublin
- Professor Shane O’Neill, Queen's University Belfast
- Barbara Sweetman FitzGerald
- Professor John CoakleyJohn CoakleyJohn Coakley is an associate professor in the School of Politics & International Relations at University College Dublin. He specialises in the study of Irish politics, comparative politics and ethnic conflict...
, University College Dublin - Paul McErlean, MCE Public Relations, Belfast
- Justice Catherine McGuinness, Dublin
- Dr. Jean Whyte
- Dr. William Whyte
Selected works
- The Independent Irish Party 1850-9 (1958)
- Church and State in Modern Ireland (1971)
- Catholics in Western Democracies (1981)
- Interpreting Northern Ireland (1990)