William L. Holland
Encyclopedia
William Lancelot Holland (28 December 1907 - May 2008) worked with the Institute of Pacific Relations
from 1928 until 1960 as Research Secretary; American IPR Executive Secretary and editor of its periodical, Far Eastern Survey; IPR Secretary-General and editor of its journal, Pacific Affairs
. He taught at University of British Columbia
from 1961 to 1970.
Holland, the oldest of four sons, was born in South Malvern, Canterbury, New Zealand
and went to Timaru Boys' High School. He graduated from Canterbury College in Christchurch, in 1928. His father was a sheep farmer and railroad worker, and Holland worked on sheep stations to put himself through school.
At the age of 21 Holland sailed to Kyoto, Japan to assist at the 1932 Institute of Pacific Relations Conference. He was to work for the IPR until it went out of operation in 1960. In 1934, he took a Masters degree at King’s College, Cambridge University, in economics, studying with John Maynard Keynes
among others. In 1944, he became an American citizen in order to accept the position of acting director of the Office of War Information in Chungking, China.
In the early 1950s congressional charges that the IPR was under communist influences, although never substantiated, seriously impaired the ability to operate. Holland became American IPR Executive Secretary and editor of its journal, Pacific Affairs. The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada,invited Holland to become the head of the newly created Department of Asian Studies, and to bring Pacific Affairs with him. He joined the faculty in 1961 and helped build UBC into a leading center for research on Asia. He became professor emeritus in 1972, continuing to edit Pacific Affairs until 1978. In 1989 the University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws.
In 1932, in Hong Kong, he married Doreen Patricia McGarry of Auckland, New Zealand. In 1990, following his wife’s death, he moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, to live with his only child, Patricia G. Holland.
Holland died in Amherst, Massachusetts in May 2008.
Institute of Pacific Relations
The Institute of Pacific Relations was an international NGO established in 1925 to provide a forum for discussion of problems and relations between nations of the Pacific Rim. The International Secretariat, the center of most IPR activity over the years, consisted of professional staff members who...
from 1928 until 1960 as Research Secretary; American IPR Executive Secretary and editor of its periodical, Far Eastern Survey; IPR Secretary-General and editor of its journal, Pacific Affairs
Pacific Affairs
Pacific Affairs ' is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes academic research on contemporary political, economic, and social issues in Asia and the Pacific. The journal was founded in 1926 as the newsletter for the entirety of the Institute of Pacific Relations . In May 1928, PA adopted...
. He taught at University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
from 1961 to 1970.
Holland, the oldest of four sons, was born in South Malvern, Canterbury, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and went to Timaru Boys' High School. He graduated from Canterbury College in Christchurch, in 1928. His father was a sheep farmer and railroad worker, and Holland worked on sheep stations to put himself through school.
At the age of 21 Holland sailed to Kyoto, Japan to assist at the 1932 Institute of Pacific Relations Conference. He was to work for the IPR until it went out of operation in 1960. In 1934, he took a Masters degree at King’s College, Cambridge University, in economics, studying with John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, Baron Keynes of Tilton, CB FBA , was a British economist whose ideas have profoundly affected the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics, as well as the economic policies of governments...
among others. In 1944, he became an American citizen in order to accept the position of acting director of the Office of War Information in Chungking, China.
In the early 1950s congressional charges that the IPR was under communist influences, although never substantiated, seriously impaired the ability to operate. Holland became American IPR Executive Secretary and editor of its journal, Pacific Affairs. The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada,invited Holland to become the head of the newly created Department of Asian Studies, and to bring Pacific Affairs with him. He joined the faculty in 1961 and helped build UBC into a leading center for research on Asia. He became professor emeritus in 1972, continuing to edit Pacific Affairs until 1978. In 1989 the University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws.
In 1932, in Hong Kong, he married Doreen Patricia McGarry of Auckland, New Zealand. In 1990, following his wife’s death, he moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, to live with his only child, Patricia G. Holland.
Holland died in Amherst, Massachusetts in May 2008.