Plumb, Sir John Harold

Plumb, Sir John Harold, 1911–, British historian. Educated at the universities of Leicester (B.A., 1933) and Cambridge (Ph.D., 1936), he remained at Cambridge as a research fellow (1938–46), a fellow, and a member of the university faculty (1946–). He was professor of modern English history (1966–74) and Master of Christ College (1978–82). Among his most important works are England in the Eighteenth Century (1950), The First Four Georges (1956), and biographies of Sir Robert Walpole (repr. 1972) and the earl of Chatham (2d ed. 1965). His recent works include a study of Elizabeth II (1980) and two volumes of essays (1989).