Professor Fred Ridley OBE died on 17 April 2020. Having studied at the LSE, Paris and Berlin, Fred taught Politics at Liverpool from 1958-1995 (and was an honorary fellow from 1995-2005). Many of us are appalled by the thought of a five-year stint, so it is worth noting that he was Head of Department for a remarkable 30 years from 1965-95! Fred was very important to the development of political science in the UK and held numerous appointments in HE nationally and made an immense civic contribution which included a stint as Chair of Tate Liverpool. Fred was editor of Parliamentary Affairs. He was very well known and will be very fondly remembered by a lot of people.

Fred helped establish and professionalise the study of politics. He was a member of the Political Studies Association Executive Committee and the second President of the Politics Association. He was the editor of Political Studies from 1969 to 1975 and subsequently of Parliamentary Affairs from 1975 to 2004. Alongside his great academic friend and collaborator Jean Blondel he was an early supporter of the European Consortium of Political Research.

Professor Michael Parkinson (Liverpool) recalls how when he was a student under Fred, he was
equally charmed and intimidated by his elegance and eloquence. He taught comparative European politics and public administration and was a convinced Europeanist before it was fashionable … Fernie (Fred) Ridley was a European émigré who came and added lustre to the intellectual, political and cultural life of this country – as well as to his adopted city of Liverpool. 

Former PSA Executive member and PSAI Chair, Professor Neil Collins (Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan) was also taught by Fred and recalls how he urged Politics academics to conduct research relevant to the city in the areas of planning, education and local government reform. 

Another of the many of today’s colleagues influenced by Fred, Professor Laura McAllister (Cardiff) recalls:
Fred was a prolific scholar who published extensively, but he was into academic impact well before REF was even thought of, never mind impact case studies. Freds quizzical looks & raised eyebrows in meetings laden with jargon were absolutely legendary. Most of all, Fred loved students and teaching and he shared his extensive knowledge with generosity and with passion. There will be Liverpool alumni all over the world who will say that
Prof Ridley guided their careers and taught them how to think critically and differently about politics and public administration. Fundamentally, Fred was a charming, intelligent man and a devoted husband and father.

Our condolences are offered to Fred’s family and friends.