Sir John Rigby Hale (September 17, 1923 – August 12, 1999) was a British Renaissance historian, translator, editor, and university professor.
John Rigby Hale was born September 17, 1923, in Ashford, Kent, in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford (B.A., 1948, M.A., 1953). He also attended Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University (1948-49). He was a Fellow of the British Academy and Emeritus Professor of Italian History at University College, London, where he was head of the Italian Department from 1970 until his retirement in 1988. His first position was as Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Jesus College, Oxford, from 1949-1964, followed by being the first Professor of History at Warwick University. He taught at a number of other universities including Cornell and the University of California.
He was a Trustee of the National Gallery, London from 1973-80, becoming Chairman from 1974. He was made a Knight Bachelor on 20 August 1984.
In 1992, he suffered a stroke that caused aphasia. After his death, his wife, the journalist Sheila Hale, wrote a book about these final years, The Man Who Lost His Language.
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