James Williamson (historian)
James Alexander Williamson (1886 – 31 December 1964) was a prominent English writer on maritime history and expert on the John Cabot voyages. He also wrote many other books on explorers, exploration and discovery. James Williamson wrote of James Cook: the greatest explorer of his age and the greatest maritime explorer of his country in any age. Early life and education The son of James Ireland Williamson, he was educated at Watford Grammar School and the University of London, where he earned his B.A. in 1906, his M.A. in 1909 and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1924 with a thesis on "The Caribbee Islands under the proprietary patents". He married Ruth Chappele. Professional career In 1910, he became an assistant master in history at Westminster City School, a post he held until 1937. His teaching career was interrupted in 1914–1919 by service in the British Army. In 1926, the University of London selected him as the first recipient of the Julian Corbett Prize in Naval History. He was Ford's Lecturer in British History at Oxford University in 1939. He served as a vice-president of both the Hakluyt Society and the Historical Association. At the time of his death, he resided