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John Archibald Venn

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John Archibald Venn
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge
In office
1941–1943
Preceded byErnest Alfred Benians
Succeeded byThomas Shirley Hele
President of Queens' College, Cambridge
In office
1932–1938
Preceded byThomas Cecil Fitzpatrick
Succeeded byArthur Armitage
Personal details
Born(1883-11-10)10 November 1883
Died15 March 1958(1958-03-15) (aged 74)
EducationTrinity College, Cambridge
Eastbourne College
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service British Army
RankLieutenant
UnitCambridgeshire Regiment

John Archibald Venn (10 November 1883 – 15 March 1958) was a British economist. He was President of Queens' College, Cambridge, from 1932 until his death, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University 1941–1943, university archivist, and author, with his father, of Alumni Cantabrigienses. His father was logician John Venn (the creator of the Venn diagram).

Venn was educated at Eastbourne College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He took his honours in the History Tripos in 1904-1905. During the First World War he was a lieutenant for three years in the Cambridgeshire Regiment and then served as a statistician in the Food Production Department. He served on the Scientific Council of the International Institute of Agriculture and many other Departmental committees of the Ministry of Agriculture. Venn was elected a Fellow in 1927 and had been a Junior Fellow and Bursar at Queens' before being elected President on the death of Thomas Cecil Fitzpatrick in 1932. At the time he was the youngest Head of a College in Cambridge. He was also the Gilbey Lecturer in Agriculture.

The Guyanese writer Arthur Seymour was visiting Venn in the Queens' College Presidential Lodge when Venn showed Seymour the proofs of Alumni Cantabrigienses. Thirty years later the memory of seeing these proofs inspired Seymour to propose the creation of a Guyana National Encyclopedia modelled on the Australian National Encyclopedia. Although Seymour failed to gain financial support for the project, Venn's example did inspire Seymour to publish two volumes of the Dictionary of Guyanese Biography which were published in 1984 and 1986.

References

  • "VENN, John Archibald", Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 19 Dec 2011[permanent dead link](subscription required)
  • "Dr J Venn Elected President", The Times (London, England), Monday, Mar 14, 1932
  • Wikisource logo Works by or about John Archibald Venn at Wikisource
  • O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "John Archibald Venn", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
Academic offices
Preceded by President of Queens' College, Cambridge
1932–1958
Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge
1941–1943
Succeeded by