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{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Lecture]]r.}}
[[File:William Crowe Dighton.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William Crowe (poet)|William Crowe]] (1745–1829), Public Orator at the [[University of Oxford]].]]
The '''Public Orator''' is a traditional official post at universities, especially in the [[United Kingdom]]. The holder of this office acts as the voice of the university on public occasions.<ref>{{Cite web |year=1913 |title=Definition: public orator |url=http://dictionary.die.net/public%20orator |work=Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary |publisher=[http://dictionary.die.net/ die.net] |accessdate=10 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426140016/http://dictionary.die.net/public%20orator |archive-date=26 April 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The position at [[Oxford University]] dates from 1564.<ref name="hibbert">{{Cite book |editor-last=Hibbert |editor-first=Christopher |editor-link=Christopher Hibbert |year=1988 |title=[[The Encyclopaedia of Oxford]] |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]] |chapter=Public Orator |page=341 |isbn=0-333-39917-X }}</ref> The Public Orator at the university presents [[honorary degree]]s, giving an [[oration]] for each person that is honoured. They may be required to compose addresses and letters as directed by the [[Hebdomadal Council]] of the university. Speeches when members of the royal family are present may also be required. The post was instituted for a visit to [[Oxford]] by [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] in 1566. The Public Orator, [[Thomas Kingsmill (professor)|Thomas Kingsmill]], gave a very long historical speech. Sir [[Isaac Wake]] addressed [[James VI and I|King James I]] similarly in 1605.

At the [[University of Cambridge]], the title for the position changed from "Public Orator" to "Orator" in 1926.<ref>{{cite web |title=Orator/Public Orator |url=http://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/Documents/acad/lists/Orato.html |publisher=[[University of Cambridge]] |accessdate=11 August 2012}}</ref> [[Trinity College Dublin]] in [[Ireland]] also has a Public Orator.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Victor Luce, Public Orator 1972–2005 |url=http://www.tcd.ie/Classics/jvl/ |publisher=[[Trinity College Dublin]] |location=[[Dublin]], [[Republic of Ireland]] |accessdate=10 August 2012 }}</ref> There is no equivalent position in [[United States|American]] universities.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schilling |first=Bernard N. |date=June 1959 |title=The Public Orator and Gradum Honoris Causa |journal=[[AAUP Bulletin]] |volume=45 |number=2 |pages=260–271 |publisher=[[American Association of University Professors]] |jstor=40222429 }}</ref>

==List of Public Orators==
{{incomplete list|date=August 2012}}

===England===

====Oxford University====
See also [[:Category:Public Orators of the University of Oxford]].

{{div col}}
* [[Thomas Kingsmill (professor)|Thomas Kingsmill]]
* [[Edmund Campion]]<ref>Waugh E 1935</ref>
* [[William Strode (poet)|William Strode]] (lived 1602–1644)
* [[Henry Hammond]] (1645–1648)<ref>{{acad|id=HMNT626H|name=Hammond, Henry}}</ref>
* [[Ralph Button]] (1648–1660)<ref>{{acad|id=BTN634R|name=Button, Ralph}}</ref>
* [[William Crowe (poet)|William Crowe]]
* [[Isaac Wake]]
* [[William Walter Merry]] (1880–1910)
* [[A.D. Godley]] (1910–1920)
* [[Arthur Blackburne Poynton]] (1925–1932)
* [[Cyril Bailey]] (1932–1939)
* [[Thomas Farrant Higham]] (1939–1958)<ref>A selection of his speeches is available in Higham, Thomas Farrant. 1960. ''Orationes Oxonienses Selectae: Short Lat. Speeches on Distinguished Contemporaries''. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
</ref>
* A.N. Bryan-Brown (1958–1967)
* [[Colin Hardie]] (1967–1973)
* John G. Griffith (1973–1980)<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Diggle |first1=James |title=Sic Oxoniae Loquuntur |journal=The Classical Review |series=New Series |date=1987 |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=92–95|doi=10.1017/S0009840X00100496 |s2cid=162873572 }}. Some orations are printed in Griffith, John G. 1985. ''Oratiunculae Oxonienses selectae: being the Latin texts and English paraphrases of sixty-four speeches delivered in the Sheldonian Theatre when presenting recipients of Honorary Degrees, together with some additional but not unrelated matter''. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
</ref>
* Godfrey Bond (1980–1992)<ref>{{cite news |title=Obituary: Godfrey Bond |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-godfrey-bond-1278360.html |accessdate=15 February 2020 |work=The Independent |date=13 February 1997 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Jasper Griffin]] (1992–2004)
* Prof. [[Richard Henry Austen Jenkyns]] (2004–2016)
* [[Jonathan Katz (classicist)|Jonathan Katz]] (2016 to present)
{{div col end}}

====Cambridge University====
See also [[:Category:Cambridge University Orators]].

{{div col}}
* [[Richard Croke]] (1522)<ref>{{acad|id=CRK506R|name=Croke, Richard}}</ref>
* [[George Day (bishop)|George Day]] (1528–1537)<ref>{{acad|id=DY520G|name=Day, George}}</ref>
* [[John Redman (Trinity College)|John Redman]] (1537–1538)<ref>{{acad|id=CHK529J|name=Redman, John}}</ref>
* Sir [[Thomas Smith (diplomat)|Thomas Smith]] (1538–1542)<ref>{{acad|id=SMT526T|name=Smith, Thomas}}</ref>
* Sir [[John Cheke]] (1544)<ref>{{acad|id=RDMN525J|name=Cheke, John}}</ref>
* [[Roger Ascham]] (1546–1554)<ref>{{acad|id=ASCN533R|name=Ascham, Roger}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Gardiner (MP for Mitchell)|Thomas Gardiner]] (1554–1557)<ref>{{acad|id=GRDR542T|name=Gardiner, Thomas}}</ref>
* John Stokes (1557–1559)<ref>{{acad|id=STKS544J|name=Stokes, John}}</ref>
* George Ackworth (1559–1560)<ref>{{acad|id=ACWT548G|name=Acworth, George}}</ref>
* Anthony Girlington (1560–1561)<ref>{{acad|id=GRLN548A|name=Girlington, Anthony}}</ref>
* William Masters (1563–1565)<ref>{{acad|id=MSTS549W|name=Masters, William}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Byng]] (1565–1570)<ref>{{acad|id=BN552T|name=Byng, Thomas}}</ref>
* [[William Lewin (died 1598)|William Lewin]] (1570–1571)<ref name="Cam_list">{{cite web|url=http://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/acad/lists/Orato.html|title=List|publisher=|accessdate=5 February 2017}}</ref>
* [[John Becon]] (1571–1573)<ref>{{acad|id=BCN559J|name=Becon, John}}</ref>
* Richard Bridgewater (1573–1581)<ref>{{acad|id=BRGR555R|name=Bridgewater, Richard}}</ref>
* [[Anthony Wingfield (MP for Ripon)|Anthony Wingfield]] (1580–1589)<ref>{{acad|id=WNGT569A|name=Wingfield, Anthony}}</ref>
* Henry Mowtlow (1589–1594)<ref>{{acad|id=MWTW571H|name=Mowtlowe, Henry}}</ref>
* Sir [[Robert Naunton]] (1594–1611)<ref>{{acad|id=NNTN578R|name=Naunton, Robert}}</ref>
* Sir [[Francis Nethersole]] (1611–1619)<ref>{{acad|id=NTRL603F|name=Nethersole, Francis}}</ref>
* [[George Herbert]] (1619–1627)<ref>{{acad|id=HRBT609G|name=Herbert, George}}</ref>
* [[Robert Creighton]] (1627–1639)<ref>{{acad|id=CRTN614R|name=Creighton, Robert}}</ref>
* Henry Molle (1639–1650)<ref>{{acad|id=ML612H|name=Mole, Henry}}</ref>
* [[Ralph Widdrington (academic)|Ralph Widdrington]] (1650–1673)<ref>{{acad|id=WDRN632R|name=Widdrington, Ralph}}</ref>
* [[Henry Paman]] (1674–1681)<ref>{{acad|id=PMN643H|name=Paman, Henry}}</ref>
* John Billers (1681–1688)<ref>{{acad|id=BLRS666J|name=Billers, John}}</ref>
* Henry Felton (1689–1696)<ref name="Cam_list" />
* William Ayloffe (1696–1726)<ref>{{acad|id=ALF680W|name=Ayloffe, William}}</ref>
* [[Edmund Castle]] (1727–1730)<ref>{{acad|id=CSTL716E|name=Castle, Edmund}}</ref>
* Philip Williams (1730–1741)<ref>{{acad|id=WLMS710P|name=Williams, Philip}}</ref>
* [[James Tunstall]] (1741–1746)<ref name="Cam_list" />
* [[Philip Yonge]] (1746–1752)<ref name="Cam_list" />
* John Skynner (1752–1762)<ref>{{acad|id=SKNR740J|name=Skynner, John}}</ref>
* [[William Barford]] (1762–1768)<ref name="Cam_list" />
* [[Richard Beadon]] (1768–1778)<ref name="Cam_list" />
* [[William Pearce (priest)|William Pearce]] (1778–1788)<ref name="Cam_list" />
* [[William Lort Mansel]] (1788–1798)<ref>{{acad|id=MNSL770WL|name=Lort, William Lort}}</ref>
* [[Edmund Outram]] (1798–1809)<ref name="Cam_list" />
* [[Ralph Tatham]] (1809–1836)<ref name="Cam_list" />
* [[Christopher Wordsworth]] (February–April 1836)<ref>{{acad|id=WRDT825C|name=Wordsworth, Christopher}}</ref>
* [[William Henry Bateson]] (1848–1857)<ref>{{acad|id=BT829WH|name=Bateson, William Henry}}</ref>
* [[William George Clark]] (1857–1869)<ref>{{acad|id=CLRK839WG|name=Clark, William George}}</ref>
* Sir [[Richard Claverhouse Jebb]] (1869–1875)<ref name="Cam_list"/>
* Sir [[John Sandys (classicist)|John Edwin Sandys]] (1875–1920; orator emeritus from 1920)<ref name="Cam_list"/>
* [[Terrot R. Glover|Terrot Reaveley Glover]] (1920–1939)<ref name="Cam_list"/>
* [[W. K. C. Guthrie|William Keith Chambers Guthrie]] (1939–1957)<ref name="Cam_list"/>
* Lancelot Patrick Wilkinson (1958–1974)<ref name="Cam_list"/>
* Frank Henry Stubbings (1974–1982)<ref name="Cam_list"/>
* [[James Diggle]] (1982–1993)<ref name="Cam_list"/>
* Anthony Bowen (1993<ref name="Cam_list"/>–2007)<ref>Cf. Bowen, Anthony. 2009. ''Cambridge Orations, 1993–2007: A Selection''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511609626.
</ref>
* Rupert Thompson (2008<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2016-17/special/04/section2.shtml|title=PRINCIPAL OFFICERS OF THE UNIVERSITY - Cambridge University Reporter Special No 4 (2016-17)}}</ref> to present)
{{div col end}}

====Liverpool University====
* [[John Pinsent]] (1983 to 1987)

====Durham University====
* [[Ian Richmond|Sir Ian Richmond]] (1949 to 1951)

====Birkbeck, University of London====
* [[Steven Connor]] (2001 to 2012)
* [[Joanna Bourke]] (2012 to present)

===Ireland===

====Trinity College, Dublin====
{{div col}}
* [[Caesar Williamson]] (1660)
* Thomas Ebenezer Webb (1879 to 1887)<ref name="DNBWebb">{{Cite DNB12|wstitle=Webb, Thomas Ebenezer}}</ref>
* [[Arthur Palmer (scholar)|Arthur Palmer]] (1888{{snd}}no later than 1897)<ref name="DNBPalmer">{{cite DNBSupp|wstitle=Palmer, Arthur (1841-1897)|volume=3}}</ref>
* [[Robert Yelverton Tyrrell]] (1899)
* [[Louis Claude Purser]] (1904)
* [[Sir Robert Tate]], (1914 to 1952)<ref>A selection of his speeches is published in Tate, Robert William. 1941. ''Orationes et epistolae Dublinenses: (1914 - 40)''. Dublin: Hodges, Figgis.
</ref>
* [[John V. Luce]], (1972 to 2005)
* [[Brian McGing]], (2005 to 2008)
* [[Anna Chahoud]], (2008 to present)
{{div col end}}

===Russia===

====[[Moscow State University|Lomonosov Moscow State University]]====
* [[:ru:Алексей Солопов|Alexei Solopov]] (1994 to present)

==See also==
* [[Public speaking]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}

[[Category:Public orators| ]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Academic terminology]]
[[Category:Academia in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Terminology of the University of Oxford]]
[[Category:Terminology of the University of Cambridge]]