Sir Laurence Woodward Martin (30 July 1928 – 24 April 2022)[1] was a British academic who was the vice-chancellor of Newcastle University from 1978 to 1990.
Martin was born on 30 July 1928 in Cornwall.[2] Educated at St Austell Grammar School, Christ's College, Cambridge and Yale University, Martin joined the Royal Air Force as a Flying Officer in 1948.[3] He married Betty Parnall in 1956 with whom he had two children.[2]
Martin became Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Wales in 1966,[4] and was appointed Professor of War Studies at King's College, London in 1968, Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University in 1978 and Director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in 1991.[3] In 1981, he gave the Reith Lectures on the theme The Two-Edged Sword.[4] He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear in 1987.[4] He was knighted in 1994.[2]
Martin died on 24 April 2022, at the age of 93.[2] [5]