John V. Luce

Who was John V. Luce?

John Victor Luce was an Irish classicist, former professor and emeritus Fellow of Classics at Trinity College, Dublin. He was also the College's Public Orator between 1971 and 2005.

Luce entered Trinity in 1938 to read Classics, and was elected as a Foundation Scholar in his first year, a highly unusual achievement. He took a double Moderatorship in Classics and Philosophy and was awarded Gold Medals for both subjects. He was Auditor of the College Classical Society in 1942–43. He was elected a Fellow of Trinity in 1948 and served as Erasmus Smith's Professor of Oratory until 1989.

John Luce was the son of Arthur Aston Luce, the long serving fellow of TCD, nephew of Gordon Hannington Luce, the noted scholar of Burmese and Asian History and Bloomsbury group member, first cousin of Rex Warner, classicist and author of novels such as the Airodrome.

He was a keen Chess player and played for Rathmines Chess Club in the Leinster Leagues.