John Russell Vincent was an academic and historian. He was Professor of Modern History at Bristol University and later Visiting Professor at the University of East Anglia. He was also a controversial columnist for The Times and The Sun. His book The Formation of the Liberal Party 1857-68 (1966) remains one of the most important works dealing with the party’s formation and early years. Other books include Lord Carlingford’s Journal (1971) and Gladstone and Ireland (1979).
