Over the summer my main research project is on the biographies of education secretaries. I’m planning to apply the framework from Dean Simonton’s Greatness: Who Makes History and Why, to see if the best remembered among the group conform to his theories. For reference, here is a list of my summer companions
May 45 | Feb 47 | Ellen Wilkinson | Labour |
Feb 47 | Nov 51 | George Tomlinson | Labour |
Nov 51 | Oct 54 | Florence Horsburgh | Labour |
Oct 54 | Jan 57 | David Eccles | Conservative |
Jan 57 | Sep 57 | Viscount Hailsham | Conservative |
Sep 57 | Oct 59 | Geoffrey Lloyd | Conservative |
Oct 59 | July 62 | David Eccles | Conservative |
July 62 | Mar 64 | Edward Boyle | Conservative |
Apr 64 | Oct 64 | Quintin Hogg | Conservative |
Oct 64 | Jan 65 | Michael Stewart | Labour |
Jan 65 | Aug 67 | Anthony Crosland | Labour |
Aug 67 | Apr 68 | Patrick Walker | Labour |
Apr 68 | Jun 70 | Edward Short | Labour |
Jun 70 | Mar 74 | Margaret Thatcher | Conservative |
Mar 74 | Jun 75 | Reginald Prentice | Labour |
Jun 75 | Sep 76 | Fred Mulley | Labour |
Sep 76 | May 79 | Shirley Williams | Labour |
May 79 | Sep 81 | Mark Carlisle | Conservative |
Sep 81 | May 86 | Keith Joseph | Conservative |
May 86 | Jul 89 | Ken Baker | Conservative |
Jul 89 | Nov 90 | John McGregor | Conservative |
Nov 90 | Apr 92 | Ken Clarke | Conservative |
Apr 92 | Jul 94 | John Patten | Conservative |
July 94 | May 97 | Gillian Shephard | Conservative |
May 97 | Jun 01 | David Blunkett | Labour |
Jun 01 | Oct 02 | Estelle Morris | Labour |
Oct 02 | Dec 04 | Charles Clarke | Labour |
Dec 04 | May 06 | Ruth Kelly | Labour |
May 06 | Jun 07 | Alan Johnson | Labour |
Jun 07 | May 10 | Ed Balls | Labour |
May 10 | Michael Gove | Conservative |
Interesting reviews of the Simonton book, which I had never heard of, some of which suggest there is no theory of greatness. Of course politicians are striving for this all the time so I will be intrigued to see your own analysis particularly on the ones still active – is a Gove biography in the offing?