Richard Henry “R. H.” Tawney (1880–1962) was an English social worker, non-Marxist Socialist, and economic historian. He was elected fellow of Balliol College, Oxford in 1918 and served as President of the Workers’ Educational Association from 1928-1944. He was a professor of economic history at the London School of Economics from 1931-1949.

Tawney enlisted as a sergeant in the 22nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment of the British Army in November 1914, turning down an officer’s commission due to his political beliefs. He served at the battle of the Somme, where he was badly wounded on July 1, 1916 and evacuated to No. 16 General Hospital in Le Tréport, France. He returned home to England in the summer of 1916, transferred to reserve status that November, and was later discharged from the Army without returning to active duty.

Throughout the remainder of World War I, Richard Henry Tawney maintained correspondence with soldiers he had served alongside who remained in France following his injury and evacuation. He struggled to secure an adequate government pension subsequent to a war-injury-related disability during this period. Tawney became involved in local politics and returned to academic life in 1918. He served in the Home Guard during the Second World War. Richard Henry Tawney died in London at the age of 81.