Director of LSE 1903-1908

'He taught geography at the School from 1895; had taught at Oxford and has been Principal of University College, Reading. He resigned the LSE Directorship in 1908 to contest a bye-election (as a Liberal Unionist) which he lost, but was elected to Parliament for the Camlachie Division of Glasgow in 1910 and held the seat until 1922. During this period he remained on the academic staff as a Reader in Economic Geography, and later Professor, until his retirement in 1925. He died in 1947.' LSE Magazine, November 1983, No66, p.18

Excerpt from reminiscences of former staff. 'LSE Material on the history of the School' LSE Archives ref R(S.R)1101 :

Sidney Webb on Halford Mackinder, p.16

'He was a magnificent lecturer; he was an admirable person – he kept the place going with one little finger.'

Miss Mactaggart (Director’s Secretary) on Halford Mackinder, p.67

'He had an enormous grip on things. He had never had justice done to him; he did not leave any kind of popularity behind him. This was perhaps due to the fact that he was a very shy man: he used to dash up the stairs and never look at anybody…He was difficult to work for – but really splendid to work with.'

Alice T. Bottomley (Student 1904-08), Demonstrator in Geography 1908-12 on Halford MacKinder, pp.153-4

To me the most inspiring lecturer was Mr Mackinder. As he talked you could see by the movements of his hands that he was visualising the natural forces at work on the area and the shapes on which they worked. Modern geography may be said to date from the work of Mr Mackinder and Prof. Herbertson at Oxford, and we students of geography felt greatly privileged to be in at the new birth. In my fourth year I studied geography under Mr Mackinder and he then appointed me Demonstrator in Geography (part time) and the first such appointment at the School. My duties were mainly in map room with the map class students, but later I gave a few lectures. Mr Mackinder and Prof. Sargent designed special desks and map drawers and cupboards for map work and maps, and part of my work was to make maps for special purposes.

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