Deian Hopkin (Q61818)

Sir Deian R. Hopkin (1944-) was born in Llanelli, and educated at Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant, Llanelli, the first Welsh-medium school to be established by a local authority, Llandovery College and the University of Wales Aberystwyth, where he graduated in history and completed his PhD. In a 44 year career in higher education in six universities, including 24 years at Aberystwyth, he retired as Vice Chancellor of London South Bank University. His specialism is Labour and trade union history and the use of new technology in the humanities and he was the founding editor of Llafur, the Welsh people's history journal. He spent many years in public policy, as an advisor to UK ministers and as a charity trustee and was knighted in 2009 for services to higher education in the UK. From 1975 to 1988 he was a member of the Court and Council of the National Library of Wales and was President of the Library from 2011 to 2015. From 2012 he was also chair of Wales Remembers - Cymru'n Cofio 1914-1918 and Expert Advisor to the First Minister of Wales. In 2022 he was elected President of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. His mother, Loti Rees Hughes (1908-1969), was an Alderman on Carmarthenshire County Council and a Parliamentary candidate in 1959 while his stepfather, Alderman W. Douglas Hughes (1899-1968), was the full-time agent of the Divisional Labour Party of Llanelly, from 1931 to 1966 during which time he was also leader of the Labour Party in the town and county.