Famous Welsh Intellectuals & Academics

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 1 
Bertrand Russell
(Philosopher)
Bertrand Russell
10
Birthdate: May 18, 1872
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Trellech, Monmouthshire, Wales
Died: February 2, 1970

Bertrand Russell was a British polymath and Nobel laureate. His work, which is spread across various fields, has had a considerable influence on philosophy, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, mathematics, linguistics, and logic. Russell is also credited with leading the revolt against idealism in Britain and is regarded as one of the founders of analytic philosophy.

 2 
Terry Jones
(Actor)
Terry Jones
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Birthdate: February 1, 1942
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Colwyn Bay, Denbighshire, Wales
Died: January 21, 2020
Starting his career as a comedy writer, actor-director Terry Jones later soared to fame as part of the Monty Python comedy team. An avid historian, too, he wrote several books and presented TV documentaries on the topic. In his later years, the BAFTA Cymru award winner struggled with dementia. 
 3 
David Owen
(politician, physician)
David Owen
3
Birthdate: July 2, 1938
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Plympton

Apart from co-establishing the Social Democratic Party, British politician David Owen has previously also been a practicing physician. His many important posts include that of the foreign affairs secretary of state. He has also been part of major nuclear disarmament groups and has headed the Liverpool University as its chancellor.

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 4 
John Owen
(The Greatest Theologian of the English 'Puritan Movement')
John Owen
4
Birthdate: 1616 AD
Birthplace: Stadhampton, Oxfordshire, England
Died: August 24, 1683

English Puritan minister John Owen was a strong advocate of Congregationalism and a close associate of Oliver Cromwell. He also served as the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. A proponent of Calvinism, or Reformed Theology, he also penned works on theological history and other religious topics.

 5 
Gerald of Wales
(Welsh Historian and Archdeacon of Brecon)
Gerald of Wales
3
Birthdate: 1146 AD
Birthplace: Manorbier Castle, Wales
Died: 1223 AD

Welsh historian Gerald of Wales had also served as the archdeacon of Brecon. His written works provide a glimpse into the life and times of the late 12th century. As a royal clerk and chaplain of English king Henry II, he accompanied him on journeys that inspired many of his books.

 6 
Richard Price
(Moral Philosopher and Mathematician Best Known for Editing, Publishing and Developing 'Bayes–Price Theorem')
Richard Price
3
Birthdate: February 23, 1723
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Llangeinor, Wales
Died: April 19, 1791

British moral-philosopher Richard Price is best-remembered for significantly editing Bayes–Price theorem. He edited An Essay towards solving a Problem in the Doctrine of Chances, a major-work of his deceased friend Thomas Bayes. It appeared in Philosophical Transactions and included Bayes' Theorem. His work on legacy of Bayes, led Price to get elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

 7 
Henry Vaughan
(Physician, Economist, Poet, Writer)
Henry Vaughan
3
Birthdate: April 17, 1621
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brecknockshire
Died: April 23, 1695

Anglo-Welsh metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan was a major literary figure of the Commonwealth period and is best remembered for Silex Scintillans. While he initially studied law, the Civil War disrupted his studies and he was called back home to serve Sir Marmaduke Lloyd. He was also a practicing physician.

 8 
Ernest Jones
(Welsh Psychoanalyst Who Pioneered His Subject in the English-Speaking Countries)
Ernest Jones
3
Birthdate: January 1, 1879
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Gowerton, Wales
Died: February 11, 1958

Welsh psychoanalyst Ernest Jones was one of the most significant figures behind the development of psychoanalysis as a profession in Britain. He was instrumental in building the American Psychoanalytic Association and was the president of the International Psychoanalytical Association. A close associate of Sigmund Freud, he also penned a 3-volume biography of Freud.

 9 
Dave Snowden
(Welsh Management Consultant and a Pioneering Figure in Complexity Science and Sensemaking)
Dave Snowden
3
Birthdate: April 1, 1954
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chipping Ongar,England

Welsh management consultant Dave Snowden is known for his research on knowledge management and for inventing the decision-making framework known as the Cynefin framework. He has also established the Singapore-based management consulting firm Cognitive Edge and is a pioneering figure in complexity science and sensemaking.

 10 
James Howell
(Welsh Historian and Writer Known for His 'Epistolae Ho-Elianae')
James Howell
1
Birthdate: 1594 AD
Birthplace: Abernant, Wales
Died: 1666 AD

Best known for his 4-volume Epistolae Ho-Elianae, James Howell had been a British historiographer royal, a post specifically made for him during the Restoration era. His works, however, are mostly plagiarized and historically inaccurate. He was also imprisoned for a few years, probably due to debts or his political criticism.

 11 
Thomas Pennant
(Welsh Naturalist, Traveller and Writer Known for Writings on Natural History, Geology and Geographical Expeditions)
Thomas Pennant
2
Birthdate: June 14, 1726
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Downing, Wales
Died: December 16, 1798

Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant is remembered for his extensive research on zoology, especially ornithology. Known for his books such as British Zoology and History of Quadrupeds, he traveled to Scotland and remote parts of Britain, writing about his expeditions in his travelogues and treatises.

 12 
James Beattie
(Linguist, Poet, Translator, Philosopher, Writer)
James Beattie
1
Birthdate: October 25, 1735
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Laurencekirk, United Kingdom
Died: August 18, 1803

James Beattie was a Scottish philosopher, moralist, educator, and poet. His philosophical writings and poetry, which opposed slavery, are widely viewed as the primary source of Immanuel Kant's knowledge of David Hume. James Beattie, who was among the members that established the Royal Society of Edinburgh, is one of the 16 personalities depicted on the famous Scott Monument.

 13 
Ronald Lockley
(Welsh Ornithologist and Naturalist Best Known for His Book 'The Private Life of the Rabbit')
Ronald Lockley
2
Birthdate: November 8, 1903
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cardiff, Wales
Died: April 12, 2000

Ronald Mathias Lockley was a Welsh naturalist and ornithologist. He is credited with writing more than 50 books, which include a detailed study of shearwaters. He is best remembered for his 1964 book The Private Life of the Rabbit, which inspired Richard Adams' 1972 children's book Watership Down. Ronald Mathias Lockley also made immense contributions to magazines like The Countryman.

 14 
H.H. Price
(Philosopher)
H.H. Price
1
Birthdate: May 17, 1899
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Neath, United Kingdom
Died: November 26, 1984
 15 
Owen Morgan Edwards
(Historian)
Owen Morgan Edwards
1
Birthdate: December 26, 1858
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Llanuwchllyn, Wales
Died: May 15, 1920
 16 
John Morris-Jones
(Poet)
John Morris-Jones
1
Birthdate: October 17, 1864
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Anglesey, Wales
Died: April 16, 1929

Welsh academic John Morris-Jones was closely associated with the faculty of what is now known as Bangor University. Initially a student of math, he switched his focus to Welsh language and literature later. His efforts at infusing classical standards into Welsh poetry got him knighted later.

 17 
Siôn Dafydd Rhys
(Welsh Physician Who Wrote the First Welsh Grammar in Latin)
Siôn Dafydd Rhys
0
Birthdate: 1534 AD
Birthplace: Llanfaethlu, Wales
Died: 1609 AD

Welsh physician and grammarian Siôn Dafydd Rhys penned the first Welsh grammar in Latin. Initially a doctor in Cardiff, he also wrote extensively on bardic poetry. He also wrote a long history of Britain. However, his works have been criticizing for forcibly trying to mingle Welsh language and Latin grammar.