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Alan Barlow

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Sir
Alan Barlow
Bt
Sir Alan Barlow, 2nd Baronet in 1938
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office
1933–1934
Prime MinisterRamsay MacDonald
Preceded bySir Patrick Duff
Succeeded bySir Harold Vincent
Personal details
Born
James Alan Noel Barlow

(1881-12-25)25 December 1881
London, England
Died28 February 1968(1968-02-28) (aged 86)
Spouse
Nora Barlow (nee Darwin)
​
​
(m. 1911)​
Children6
ParentSir Thomas Barlow (Father)
EducationMarlborough College
Alma materCorpus Christi College, Oxford
OccupationCivil servant
AwardsCBE (1918)
CB (1928)
KBE (1938)
KCB (1942)
GCB (1947)

Sir James Alan Noel Barlow, 2nd Baronet GCB KBE FSA (25 December 1881 – 28 February 1968) was a British civil servant and collector of Islamic and Chinese art. He was Principal Private Secretary to Ramsay MacDonald, 1933–1934, and later Under-secretary at HM Treasury.[1]

Personal life and education

Barlow was born in London, the eldest son of Sir Thomas Barlow, 1st Baronet, Royal physician, and his wife Ada Dalmahoy. He attended Marlborough College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, graduating with a first class degree in literae humaniores in 1904.

In 1911 Barlow and Nora Darwin, the daughter of Horace Darwin and grand-daughter of Charles Darwin (see Darwin — Wedgwood family) were married. They had six children:

He was a member of the Savile and Athenaeum 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 the University of Sussex. He was also a bibliophile and interested in archaeology. From 1948 until 1955 he was a trustee of the National Gallery, and its chair from 1949 – 1951. He was also a president of the Oriental Ceramic Society from 1943 – 1964.[1]

Career

He began a career as a civil servant as a clerk in the House 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. The First World War altered the direction of his career since in 1915 he was moved to the Ministry of Munitions to be private secretary to Christopher Addison, who became the Minister. 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 new Ministry 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 the Treasury 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 the Order of the Bath and the Order of the British Empire:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f BARLOW, Sir (James) Alan (Noel)’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 26 May 2011
  2. ^ Chapman, R A; Greenaway, J R (1980). The dynamics of administrative reform. Croom Helm. p. 249. ISBN 0-85664-107-3.
  3. ^ "The Barlow Report: Scientific man-power". Parliamentary paper. Cmd 6824: 68. 1946. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Page 368 | Supplement 30460, 4 January 1918 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Page 4 | Supplement 33343, 30 December 1927 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Page 3697 | Supplement 34518, 7 June 1938 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Page 2478 | Issue 35586, 5 June 1942 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Page 4 | Supplement 37835, 31 December 1946 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
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


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