John Smith (sociologist)

John Harold Smith (1927–2002) was an English sociologist. He was Professor of Sociology at the University of Southampton from 1964 to 1991.

Early life[]

Born in Folkestone on 21 April 1927, Smith attended Harvey Grammar School; during World War II, he served with the Royal Observer Corps and as a meteorologist in the Royal Navy.^[1] On demobilisation, he read sociology at the London School of Economics, graduating in 1950.^[1]

Academic career[]

Smith then worked as a researcher at the Acton Society Trust, before returning to the LSE as a lecturer in social sciences and administration.^[1] In 1964, he became the first Professor of Sociology and head of the Sociology and Social Policy Department at the University of Southampton; he retired in 1991.^[1][2] At Southampton, he was the dean of social sciences from 1967 to 1970 and the deputy vice-chancellor from 1974 to 1978.^[2] He was also involved in expanding its library and special collections and was described in one obituary as the "driving force" behind the university's Nuffield Theatre, and John Hansard Gallery.^[2]

According to The Guardian, Smith "played a leading role in developing the University of Southampton's social sciences faculty and was an authority on the social psychologist Elton Mayo";^[1] an industrial sociologist by specialism, he co-authored (with Nancy Seear and Pearl Jephcott) Married Working Women in 1962, as well as a number of other monographs and articles related to his discipline.^[1] In the 1970s and 1980s, he researched the impact of computing.^[2]

Personal life[]

Smith was a keen gardener, follower of cricket and fan of Hitchcock's thrillers and western films.^[1] He married Jean Horton in 1951 and had with her three children Christopher, Nigel and Rachel, who all survived him when he died on 4 May 2002.^[1]

References[]