Hugh Stretton

Hugh Stretton AC
Stretton as professor of history at the University of Adelaide in 1954.
Born	(1924-07-15)July 15, 1924 Melbourne, Australia
Died	July 18, 2015(2015-07-18) (aged 90)
Education	Mentone Grammar School Scotch College University of Melbourne University of Oxford Princeton University
Occupation	Author, historian and urban theorist
Notable work	Ideas for Australian Cities Economics: A New Introduction
Awards	Centenary Medal, Companion of the Order of Australia

Professor emeritus Hugh Stretton AC (15 July 1924 – 18 July 2015) was an Australian historian, urban theorist and a Rhodes Scholar. He was a key figure in the development and implementation of government policies affecting cities, particularly during the Whitlam Government.

Stretton was born in Cambrai Private Hospital, St Kilda East. He was educated at Mentone Grammar School and Scotch College, Melbourne for his secondary school years. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Melbourne for his undergraduate education. However, the ongoing Second World War interrupted his studies and he served in the Royal Australian Navy. He enlisted as a rating on 5 May 1943 having declined a commission. Stretton was posted to numerous supply depots and ships throughout his service, including HMAS Pengiun in Sydney and two corvettes based out of Darwin. As a result of his, he did not complete his studies at Melbourne.

Upon his demobilisation on 8 February 1946, he successfully enrolled as a Rhodes Scholar to study history at the University of Oxford. His application was supported by Sir Robert Menzies who wrote highly of him.

[He is] of rare intelligence, with marked capacity for acquiring knowledge in an orderly way. He has an interesting combination of solidity and humour

He graduated Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and became a fellow in history at Balliol College. During this time, he also spent a year tutoring and reading history at Princeton University.