Hugh Seton-Watson

George Hugh Nicholas Seton-Watson (known as Hugh) (1916-1984) was the elder son of Robert William Seton-Watson, the first holder of the chair of Central European history at SSEES. On graduating from Oxford University, he travelled in Central and South Eastern Europe, studying the conditions of these countries and learning the languages. After World War Two and war service including three years with Special Forces in Cairo and Istanbul, he was able to embark on an academic career at Oxford University. Seton-Watson was appointed to the chair of Russian history at SSEES in 1951 and held this post until his retirement in 1983. He was also head of the History Department at SSEES from 1961 to 1976. Seton-Watson's interests extended beyond Russian history to also cover Eastern and Central Europe. He published twelve books and over 275 articles.