Skip to main content

Shepperson, George, 1922-2020 (Professor of Commonwealth and American History)

 Person

Staff Only

Dates

  • Existence: 1922 - 2020

Biography

George Albert “Sam” Shepperson was born in Peterborough, Northamptonshire in 1922. He received his early education at King's School, Peterborough, before advancing to St. John's College, Cambridge. His studies were interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the Northamptonshire Regiment and was seconded to the King's African Rifles, seeing action in East Africa, India, and Burma from 1942 to 1946. His wartime experiences, particularly with a Nyasa battalion in Burma, left an indelible mark on him, fostering a lifelong connection with Africa and its peoples. He became fluent in Chinyanja and developed a profound respect for Malawi and its history.

Upon returning to civilian life, Shepperson completed his history degree and joined the University of Edinburgh as a Lecturer in Imperial and American History in 1948. He became a Senior Lecturer in 1960, a Reader in 1961, and finally, in 1963 he was appointed to the William Robertson Chair of Commonwealth and American History. His courses became renowned, inspiring many students who would go on to become prominent authorities in their fields. He retired in 1986.

Shepperson's scholarly contributions were vast and influential. His seminal work, Independent African: John Chilembwe and the Origins, Setting, and Significance of the Nyasaland Native Rising 1915, co-authored with Tom Price and first published in 1958, remains a cornerstone in the study of African nationalism. This work was pivotal in cementing John Chilembwe's status as a key figure in African history and is still regarded as one of the most comprehensive studies on Malawian nationalism. Throughout his career, Shepperson remained a committed advocate for African independence, particularly for Malawi. He also authored David Livingstone and the Rovuma in 1964, among many other significant publications.

His expertise and passion for African history led him to numerous prestigious visiting professorships, including stints at Roosevelt and Chicago Universities in 1959, Makerere College in Uganda in 1962, Dalhousie University from 1968 to 1969, and Rhode Island College in 1984. These roles further solidified his reputation as a leading scholar of African and American history.

Shepperson was instrumental in curating two University of Edinburgh Library's exhibitions, "A Miscellany of Americana" in 1963 and "A Miscellany of Africana" in 1966, which significantly enhanced the university's status in Americanist and Africanist studies. His efforts also included generous donations of books and papers, enriching the library's resources and inspiring others to contribute. He was a founding member of the Friends of the University Library in 1962, serving multiple terms on its committee.

George Albert Shepperson passed away on 2 April 2020, at the age of 98, in Peterborough, UK. His legacy is one of profound scholarly impact and passionate advocacy for African history and culture.

Sources:
- "Emeritus Professor George Albert Shepperson, C. B. E., B. A., M. A., Hon. D. Univ. Edinburgh, Dr. h. c. York, D. Litt. h. c. Malawi, F. E. I. S.: 7th January 1922 – 2nd April 2020." The Society of Malawi Journal, vol. 73, no. 1, 2020, pp. vi–vi. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26978866. [Accessed 29 July 2024]
- [N.d.]. "George Albert Shepperson", Ed.ac.uk, https://www.docs.is.ed.ac.uk/docs/lib-archive/bgallery/Gallery/records/nineteen2/shepperson.html [Accessed 29 July 2024]

Found in 53 Collections and/or Records:

Letters relating to the life of Clements Kadalie, 1958-1971

 File — Box CLX-A-24: Series Coll-490/22; Series Coll-490/23
Identifier: Coll-490/23/CK(C)
Scope and Contents Correspondence relating to Kadalie's autobiography and Phiri's Life:1. Anthony Sampson, The Observer, London, to George Shepperson, Edinburgh. Mr Sampson is interested to hear that the recipient is thinking of writing a book on Kadalie. Sends Mrs Kadalie's address. 8 November 1958.2. George Shepperson introduces himself to Mrs Kadalie. He is considering writing a book about...
Dates: 1958-1971
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers and Correspondence of Professor George Albert Shepperson / File 23 / Clements Kadalie and the ICU [Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union of Africa]

Letters, speeches, articles and reports relating to the career of Julius Nyerere, the Independence of Tanganyika, and the United Republic of Tanzania, 1959-1988

 File — Box CLX-A-16: Series Coll-490/6; Series Coll-490/7; Series Coll-490/8
Identifier: Coll-490/8/4
Scope and Contents Letters, speeches, articles and reports relating to the career of Julius Nyerere, the Independence of Tanganyika, and the United Republic of Tanzania. Julius Nyerere: Biography [early years] by George Dunheved. June 1959. Nyerere's period at the University of Edinburgh. Request for information. 1960. Gazette: University of Edinburgh, October 1960. Article by George Shepperson 'University of Edinburgh's First Prime...
Dates: 1959-1988
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers and Correspondence of Professor George Albert Shepperson / File 8: Material relating to Julius Nyerere

Malawi correspondence, 1951-1986

 File — Box CLX-A-18: Series Coll-490/10; Series Coll-490/11
Identifier: Coll-490/10/2
Scope and Contents Sixteen "sections", roughly chronological. Newspaper cutting - letter. Letter dated 7 March 1951 to The Scotsman from J. B. Dunbar, Esq., Elgin. It interested George Shepperson because its author had served in Central Africa with the King's African Rifles about 1900. George Shepperson writes to Mr Dunbar explaining his interest, and asking if he has any material on the territories in...
Dates: 1951-1986
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers and Correspondence of Professor George Albert Shepperson / File 10: Malawi

Manuscripts and typescripts of The Independent African: Independent African: John Chilembwe and the Origins, Setting and Significance of the Nyasaland Native Rising of 1915 by George Shepperson and Tom Price, c 1958

 Series — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Coll-490/MS/IA
Scope and Contents Manuscripts and typescripts of the book The Independent African: John Chilembwe and the Nyasaland Rising of 1915 by George Shepperson and Tom Price, first published in 1958. Typescript (2 copies). Galley proofs and page proofs. Original typescript with handwritten annotations, and manuscript notes (some of the pages are out of...
Dates: c 1958
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers and Correspondence of Professor George Albert Shepperson

Material relating to Africa for the African by Joseph Booth, 1953-1969

 File
Identifier: Coll-210/2/7
Scope and Contents

Material relating to Africa for the African published by Booth in 1897, includes copies of two editions of the work, Shepperson’s notes, and correspondence about existing copies and reprinting the work.

Dates: 1953-1969
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers relating to Joseph Booth and family / Research correspondence and material of George Shepperson

Mungo Park (1771-1805). Papers relating to Bi-Centenary Celebrations, 1971

 Series — Box CLX-A-25: Series Coll-490/24; Series Coll-490/25
Identifier: Coll-490/24/MP
Scope and Contents Mungo Park (1771-1805). Papers relating to Bi-Centenary Celebrations. 'Mungo Park and the Scottish Contribution to Africa'. Talk given by George Shepperson to the joint meeting of Royal African and Royal Commonwealth Societies. 4 February 1971. Shortened account of the above. Mungo Park Bicentenary lecture: Selkirk, 8 September 1971. Statement by...
Dates: 1971
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers and Correspondence of Professor George Albert Shepperson / File 24

Notes made by Shepperson on sources, c 1950 - c 1986

 File
Identifier: Coll-210/2/6
Scope and Contents

Notes made by Shepperson on sources, including bibliographic material on Booth, chronologies, some transcripts or copies of documents, and some contemporary articles.

Dates: c 1950 - c 1986
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers relating to Joseph Booth and family / Research correspondence and material of George Shepperson

P. A. Cole-King, 1973-1981

 File — Box CLX-A-28: Series Coll-490/A-G
Identifier: Coll-490/B
Scope and Contents

P. A. Cole-King: Cape Maclear, booklet. P. A. Cole-King: Blantyre: a Historical Guide. Ms P. A. Cole-King and David Leishman: The Origin and Development of a Central African City: Blantyre. Two lettersbetween George Shepperson and Paul Cole-King dated 26 november 1973 and 30 October 1981.

Dates: 1973-1981
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers and Correspondence of Professor George Albert Shepperson / File "A-G"

Papers and Correspondence of Professor George Albert Shepperson

 Fonds
Identifier: Coll-490
Scope and Contents This collection consists of papers, articles, correspondence, publications, photographs, audio-visual material, and artefacts of Professor George "Sam" Shepperson, a prominent scholar of African and American African history, and Malawi specialist. This includes, among other things, papers and correspondence relating to central and eastern Africa with special reference to Malawi and Tanzania (including correspondence of Julius Nyerere); papers on nationalism in Nyasaland (Malawi), including...
Dates: late 19th-century - late 20th century
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections

Papers relating to Chindongo's wish to campaign for President, 1980-1981

 File — Box CLX-A-23: Series Coll-490/20; Series Coll-490/21
Identifier: Coll-490/21/2
Scope and Contents

Letters, articles, and poems of Crispin D. Chindongo regarding his political aspirations in Malawi.

Dates: 1980-1981
Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / Papers and Correspondence of Professor George Albert Shepperson / File 21