Trevelyan, << trih VEHL yuhn, >> George Macaulay (1876-1962), was a famous British historian. His two best-known books are History of England (1926) and English Social History (1942). Trevelyan’s vivid descriptions of social life and his dramatic and imaginative writing style appealed to the general public. In his writings, he promoted the views of the Whig Party, which was important in British politics from the 1600’s to the mid-1800’s, and of its successor, the Liberal Party. Whigs and Liberals believed the common people had a more positive effect on history than did royalty and that democratic government would bring about steady social progress.
Trevelyan was born on Feb. 16, 1876, near Stratford-upon-Avon. His father was Sir George Otto Trevelyan, a politician and historian. The younger Trevelyan first won wide praise for a three-volume biography of the Italian military hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, published between 1907 and 1911. Trevelyan taught modern history at Cambridge University from 1927 until 1940, when he became master of Trinity College. He also wrote England Under Queen Anne (1930 to 1934) and The English Revolution, 1688-1689 (1938). He died on July 21, 1962.
