Ramsey of Canterbury, Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron, 1904–88, archbishop of Canterbury (1961–74), b. Cambridge, England. He was educated at Repton School; Magdalene College, Cambridge; and Cuddesdon Theological College. After his ordination in 1928 he held various teaching posts. In 1940 he was appointed canon of Durham Cathedral and professor of divinity at the Univ. of Durham, and in 1950 he became regius professor of divinity at Cambridge. In 1952 he was consecrated bishop of Durham and from 1956 to 1961 was archbishop of York. In June, 1961, he succeeded Geoffrey Francis Fisher as archbishop of Canterbury. Although a member of the High-Church group, Ramsey pressed for increased autonomy for the Church of England and was active in the ecumenical movement. He retired as archbishop in 1974 and was succeeded by Donald Coggan; he was subsequently created a life peer. A noted scholar, his works include The Gospel and the Catholic Church (1931), The Resurrection of Christ (1945), F. D. Maurice and the Conflict of Modern Theology (1951), and From Gore to Temple (1960).
See biographies by J. B. Simpson (1962) and O. Chadwick (1990).
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