Alan Garrett Anderson
Encyclopedia
Sir Alan Garrett Anderson GBE DL
(9 March 1877 – 4 May 1952) was a British civil servant and shipowner.
. Anderson's father was a shipping magnate who merged the family shipping business, Anderson, Anderson & Co., with Frederick Green & Co. on 12 February 1878 to create the Orient Steam Navigation Company
. Anderson's mother was the first British woman in England to qualify as a doctor. He was one of three children born to the couple. One of his sisters, Louisa Garrett Anderson
, followed in her mother's footsteps and became a doctor herself, serving during World War I
as the head of a military hospital
, while Anderson joined his father in the family's shipping enterprise in 1897. Prior to joining the company, Anderson was educated at Eton College
(1890 and 1895) and Trinity College, Oxford
(1896). Once established in the shipping industry, Anderson expanded into the related field of rail transport
, becoming director of Midland Railway
in 1911, a seat he maintained through the merger of that railway in 1923 into London, Midland and Scottish Railway
.
responsible for regulating the distribution of wheat supplies, he dealt generally with Great Britain's western allies. He dealt specifically with the United States first in processing enemy cargo aboard US vessels under Walter Runciman
and, after the US entered the war, in marketing wheat in the United States as well as Canada along with Arthur Balfour
.
In the summer of 1917, Anderson was appointed to replace Eric Geddes
as Admiralty controller, a position that made him one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. During Geddes' term, the Controller had been put in charge of overseeing construction and repairs of both the Royal and Merchant navies, which were taking a toll from submarine attacks. Geddes had set very high quotas for production that the Controller's office, even with delegation, was unable to meet both from shortage of materials and manpower. Tensions were high on both sides, with Joseph Davies
specifying his irritation with Anderson, while Anderson, in response to one notable shortage of shipbuilders in November 1917, chided the military for "a complete lack of sense of proportion", suggesting that recruitment would be more successfully accomplished by appealing to wives and union officials in towns known for shipbuilding than seeking the Home Office. Anderson resigned from the position in 1918.
In spite of these challenges, Anderson was widely honored. In 1917, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), an Officer of the Légion d'honneur
, and an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy
in reward for his wartime services.
, serving on its board from 1918 to 1946, and serving as its deputy governor
under Sir Montagu Norman from 1925-1926. Prior to assuming the latter role, as deputy governor-elect, Anderson accompanied Norman in December 1924 to New York to help determine the feasibility of a resumption of the gold standard
. He spoke at the International Chamber of Commerce congress in 1927 as acting president, giving an "eloquent" speech on tariff reductions. From 1927 until 1952, he was a board member of the Suez Canal Company
.
His shipping concerns, too, broadened. From its formation in 1878, the Orient Steam Navigation Company had been operated under the co-management of Anderson, Anderson & Co. and Frederick Green & Co, but in 1919 a controlling interest
in the Orient Steam Navigation Company was purchased by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
(P&O). At that time, Anderson, Anderson and Co. was merged with F. Green and Co. into Anderson, Green & Co., and Anderson was made a board member of both P&O and the British-India Steam Navigation Company
by James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape
.
In addition, Anderson continued public service. According to his Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry, "he chaired two government inquiries, one on the training of naval officers, the other on the pay of civil servants, and was a member of the royal commission into national debt." He was involved with the hospital named in honour of his mother, being shown as one of the owners of the freehold in May 1923, and remained active in the London School of Medicine for Women
and the Royal Free Hospital
which his mother had helped found.
Anderson was granted an honorary commission as a captain
in the Royal Naval Reserve
on 28 June 1930. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1934 King's Birthday Honours.
candidate to represent the City of London
as a Member of Parliament (MP). He was first elected at a by-election in June 1935 and was re-elected in that year's general election
in November. He resigned in 1940 and focused his efforts on helping his country through World War II
. The British Ministry of Food had established a Cereals Control Board following the Munich Crisis in 1938 and placed Anderson to serve as its chairman. In August, 1941, he became the Controller of Railways and the chairman of the Railway Executive. He served as Honorary Colonel of a Territorial Army unit of the Gloucestershire Regiment for a period up to 27 September 1949, retaining the honorary rank of colonel afterwards.
. The couple parented four children, including Sir Donald Forsyth Anderson who followed his father into the shipping industry. He died on 4 May 1952.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(9 March 1877 – 4 May 1952) was a British civil servant and shipowner.
Early life and career
Anderson was born in 1877 to James George Skelton Anderson and Elizabeth Garrett AndersonElizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, LSA, MD , was an English physician and feminist, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in Britain and the first female mayor in England.-Early life:...
. Anderson's father was a shipping magnate who merged the family shipping business, Anderson, Anderson & Co., with Frederick Green & Co. on 12 February 1878 to create the Orient Steam Navigation Company
Orient Steam Navigation Company
The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century...
. Anderson's mother was the first British woman in England to qualify as a doctor. He was one of three children born to the couple. One of his sisters, Louisa Garrett Anderson
Louisa Garrett Anderson
Dr. Louisa Garrett Anderson CBE was a medical pioneer, a member of the Women's Social and Political Union, a suffragette, and social reformer. She was the daughter of the founding medical pioneer Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Her aunt, Dame Millicent Fawcett was a British suffragist...
, followed in her mother's footsteps and became a doctor herself, serving during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as the head of a military hospital
Military hospital
Military hospital is a hospital, which is generally located on a military base and is reserved for the use of military personnel, their dependents or other authorized users....
, while Anderson joined his father in the family's shipping enterprise in 1897. Prior to joining the company, Anderson was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
(1890 and 1895) and Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
(1896). Once established in the shipping industry, Anderson expanded into the related field of rail transport
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
, becoming director of Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
in 1911, a seat he maintained through the merger of that railway in 1923 into London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
.
First World War
Anderson utilized his business experiences internationally in service of the government during the First World War. Appointed vice-chairman of the Royal CommissionRoyal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
responsible for regulating the distribution of wheat supplies, he dealt generally with Great Britain's western allies. He dealt specifically with the United States first in processing enemy cargo aboard US vessels under Walter Runciman
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford
Walter Runciman, 1st Viscount Runciman of Doxford PC was a prominent Liberal, later National Liberal politician in the United Kingdom from the 1900s until the 1930s.-Background:...
and, after the US entered the war, in marketing wheat in the United States as well as Canada along with Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
.
In the summer of 1917, Anderson was appointed to replace Eric Geddes
Eric Campbell Geddes
Sir Eric Campbell-Geddes GCB, GBE, PC was a British businessman and Conservative politician. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty between 1917 and 1919 and as the first Minister of Transport between 1919 and 1921....
as Admiralty controller, a position that made him one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. During Geddes' term, the Controller had been put in charge of overseeing construction and repairs of both the Royal and Merchant navies, which were taking a toll from submarine attacks. Geddes had set very high quotas for production that the Controller's office, even with delegation, was unable to meet both from shortage of materials and manpower. Tensions were high on both sides, with Joseph Davies
Joseph Davies (MP)
Sir Joseph Davies was a Welsh businessman, commercial statistician and Liberal Party politician. He was one of a talented group of men and women who worked closely with David Lloyd George during his premiership as a key member of Lloyd George’s wartime secretariat, known as the Garden...
specifying his irritation with Anderson, while Anderson, in response to one notable shortage of shipbuilders in November 1917, chided the military for "a complete lack of sense of proportion", suggesting that recruitment would be more successfully accomplished by appealing to wives and union officials in towns known for shipbuilding than seeking the Home Office. Anderson resigned from the position in 1918.
In spite of these challenges, Anderson was widely honored. In 1917, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), an Officer of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, and an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy
Order of the Crown of Italy
The Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...
in reward for his wartime services.
Post-war career
After the war, Anderson continued to broaden his career. He became known as a powerful figure in the world of finance. Though inexperienced in banking, he became involved with the Bank of EnglandBank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
, serving on its board from 1918 to 1946, and serving as its deputy governor
Governor of the Bank of England
The Governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the Bank, with the incumbent grooming his or her successor...
under Sir Montagu Norman from 1925-1926. Prior to assuming the latter role, as deputy governor-elect, Anderson accompanied Norman in December 1924 to New York to help determine the feasibility of a resumption of the gold standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
. He spoke at the International Chamber of Commerce congress in 1927 as acting president, giving an "eloquent" speech on tariff reductions. From 1927 until 1952, he was a board member of the Suez Canal Company
Suez Canal Company
The Universal Suez Ship Canal Company was the Egyptian corporation which was formed by Ferdinand de Lesseps during 1858, constructed the Suez Canal between 1859 and 1869, and owned and operated it for many years thereafter...
.
His shipping concerns, too, broadened. From its formation in 1878, the Orient Steam Navigation Company had been operated under the co-management of Anderson, Anderson & Co. and Frederick Green & Co, but in 1919 a controlling interest
Controlling interest
Controlling interest in a corporation means to have control of a large enough block of voting stock shares in a company such that no one stock holder or coalition of stock holders can successfully oppose a motion...
in the Orient Steam Navigation Company was purchased by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
(P&O). At that time, Anderson, Anderson and Co. was merged with F. Green and Co. into Anderson, Green & Co., and Anderson was made a board member of both P&O and the British-India Steam Navigation Company
British-India Steam Navigation Company
British India Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company. The company had been formed out of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, a trading partnership of the Scots William Mackinnon and Robert Mackenzie, to carry mail between Calcutta and Rangoon. It...
by James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape
James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape
James Lyle Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape, GCSI, GCMG, KCIE was a British colonial administrator in India.Mackay was the second son of James Mackay of Arbroath and his wife, Deborah Lyle...
.
In addition, Anderson continued public service. According to his Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry, "he chaired two government inquiries, one on the training of naval officers, the other on the pay of civil servants, and was a member of the royal commission into national debt." He was involved with the hospital named in honour of his mother, being shown as one of the owners of the freehold in May 1923, and remained active in the London School of Medicine for Women
London School of Medicine for Women
The London School of Medicine for Women was established in 1874 and was the first medical school in Britain to train women.The school was formed by an association of pioneering women physicians Sophia Jex-Blake, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Emily Blackwell and Elizabeth Blackwell with Thomas Henry...
and the Royal Free Hospital
Royal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....
which his mother had helped found.
Anderson was granted an honorary commission as a captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
in the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
on 28 June 1930. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1934 King's Birthday Honours.
Member of Parliament and Second World War
In 1935, Anderson ran for public office as a ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate to represent the City of London
City of London (UK Parliament constituency)
The City of London was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950.-Boundaries and boundary...
as a Member of Parliament (MP). He was first elected at a by-election in June 1935 and was re-elected in that year's general election
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
in November. He resigned in 1940 and focused his efforts on helping his country through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The British Ministry of Food had established a Cereals Control Board following the Munich Crisis in 1938 and placed Anderson to serve as its chairman. In August, 1941, he became the Controller of Railways and the chairman of the Railway Executive. He served as Honorary Colonel of a Territorial Army unit of the Gloucestershire Regiment for a period up to 27 September 1949, retaining the honorary rank of colonel afterwards.
Personal life
On 9 June 1903, Anderson wed Muriel Ivy Duncan of SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. The couple parented four children, including Sir Donald Forsyth Anderson who followed his father into the shipping industry. He died on 4 May 1952.