Alexander Burt Taylor (civil servant)
Encyclopedia
Alexander Burt Taylor CBE
D. Litt.
FRSE
(1904–1972), Registrar General for Scotland.
Alexander Burt Taylor was born 6 June 1904 at Earlston
, Berwickshire, Scotland. Following schooling at the famous Hamilton Academy
and at Kirkwall Grammar School, Taylor matriculated at the University of Edinburgh
. Graduating MA in 1925, he taught at schools in Stirling and Falkirk, Scotland, and at Columbia University
, New York.
In 1933 Taylor took a position with the Scottish Education Department and at the beginning of World War II
was seconded to the Scottish Department of Health and in 1947 was promoted to Assistant Secretary. In 1959 Taylor was appointed Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages for Scotland, a post he held until his retirement in 1966. During his term of office he was responsible for the administration of two censuses, the Scottish full census of 1961 and the ten per cent sample in 1966.
In 1961 Taylor was invested Commander of the British Empire
and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
on 6 March of that year.
Taylor was also a Scandinavian philologist
and author of a translation of The Orkneyinga saga: A new translation with introduction and notes (1938), and British and Irish place-names in Old Norse literature (1953). He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters
by the University of Edinburgh
.
Dr. Alexander Burt Taylor died 13 March 1972.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
D. Litt.
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
FRSE
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(1904–1972), Registrar General for Scotland.
Alexander Burt Taylor was born 6 June 1904 at Earlston
Earlston
Earlston , formerly Ercildoune, is a civil parish and market town in the county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders. It is situated on the River Leader in Lauderdale, Scotland.-Early history:...
, Berwickshire, Scotland. Following schooling at the famous Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a school situated in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, Hamilton Academy featured in the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Magazine article series on...
and at Kirkwall Grammar School, Taylor matriculated at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. Graduating MA in 1925, he taught at schools in Stirling and Falkirk, Scotland, and at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York.
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...
was seconded to the Scottish Department of Health and in 1947 was promoted to Assistant Secretary. In 1959 Taylor was appointed Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages for Scotland, a post he held until his retirement in 1966. During his term of office he was responsible for the administration of two censuses, the Scottish full census of 1961 and the ten per cent sample in 1966.
In 1961 Taylor was invested Commander of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
on 6 March of that year.
Taylor was also a Scandinavian philologist
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and author of a translation of The Orkneyinga saga: A new translation with introduction and notes (1938), and British and Irish place-names in Old Norse literature (1953). He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
by the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Dr. Alexander Burt Taylor died 13 March 1972.