Sir Alan Barlow | |
|---|---|
 Sir Alan Barlow, 2nd Baronet in 1938 | |
| Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister | |
| In office 1933–1934 | |
| Prime Minister | Ramsay MacDonald |
| Preceded by | Sir Patrick Duff |
| Succeeded by | Sir Harold Vincent |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Alan Noel Barlow (1881-12-25)25 December 1881 London, England |
| Died | 28 February 1968(1968-02-28) (aged 86) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
| Parent | Sir Thomas Barlow (Father) |
| Education | Marlborough College |
| Alma mater | Corpus Christi College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Awards | CBE(1918) CB(1928) KBE(1938) KCB(1942) GCB(1947) |
Sir James Alan Noel Barlow, 2nd BaronetGCB KBE FSA (25 December 1881 – 28 February 1968) was aBritishcivil servant and collector of Islamic andChinese art. He wasPrincipal Private Secretary toRamsay MacDonald, 1933–1934, and laterUnder-secretary atHM Treasury.[1]
Barlow was born inLondon, the eldest son ofSir Thomas Barlow, 1st Baronet, Royal physician, and his wife Ada Dalmahoy. He attendedMarlborough College andCorpus Christi College, Oxford, graduating with a first class degree inliterae humaniores in 1904.
In 1911 Barlow andNora Darwin, the daughter ofHorace Darwin and grand-daughter ofCharles Darwin (seeDarwin — Wedgwood family) were married. They had six children:
He was a member of theSavile andAthenaeum clubs in London where he was able to meet political contacts during his career. He started collecting Islamic pottery and Chinese ceramics as a child and later donated pieces to museums and theUniversity of Sussex. He was also abibliophile and interested in archaeology. From 1948 until 1955 he was a trustee of theNational Gallery, and its chair from 1949 – 1951. He was also a president of theOriental Ceramic Society from 1943 – 1964.[1]
He began a career as a civil servant as a clerk in theHouse of Commons in 1906. He was then chosen as a junior examiner in the Board of Education and in 1914 became private secretary to the parliamentary secretary. TheFirst World War altered the direction of his career since in 1915 he was moved to the Ministry of Munitions to be private secretary toChristopher Addison, who became theMinister. In 1917 he was promoted to be deputy controller of labour supply and in 1918 became controller of the labour department. When the war ended he was in charge of demobilization and training in the newMinistry of Labour.[1] In 1924 he was promoted to principal assistant secretary in charge of the industrial relations department of the Ministry. His role focused on training after 1929 and the establishment of government training centres, although there remained a lack of training by industry.[1]
In 1933 he was appointed as the principal private secretary to Ramsay MacDonald, the prime minister. However, the two men were not suited to each other and in 1934 Barlow was transferred to theTreasury where he remained, rising to a senior position and being a member of several committees that together were concerned with the machinery of government. It has been considered that he made creative changes that improved the civil service. However he did not lead on changes needed as the government intervened more in economic and social policy from the late 1940s onwards.[2]: 217 He was in favour of education expenditure, especially in technical and scientific areas. He chaired a committee in 1945 - 1946 that recommended foundation of a new technological university and increasing the number of science graduates, but it was not implemented.[3] He retired in 1948 but continued to be a member of the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy.[1]
Barlow was a knight three times over; a baronet and a knight of both theOrder of the Bath and theOrder of the British Empire:[1]
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Baronet (of Wimpole Street) 1945–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Patrick Duff | Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister 1933–1934 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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