Sir George Selby Washington Epps (26 February 1885 – 8 February 1951) was a British

actuary An actuary is a professional with advanced mathematical skills who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. These risks can affect both sides of the balance sheet and require investment management, asset management, ...

and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

. He succeeded Alfred Watson as

government actuary The Government Actuary's Department (GAD) provides actuarial solutions including risk analysis, modelling and advice to support the UK public sector. It is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. History In 1912 the Government ap ...

in 1936.

Early life and education

George Selby Washington Epps was born on 26 February 1885 to father Washington Epps, a medical doctor in

Great Russell Street Great Russell Street is a street in Bloomsbury, London, best known for being the location of the British Museum. It runs between Tottenham Court Road (part of the A400 route) in the west, and Southampton Row (part of the A4200 route) in the e ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and his mother who was a sister of

Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema ( ; born Lourens Alma Tadema, ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom, becoming the last officially recognised Denization, denizen in 1873. Born in ...

. He was educated at

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is a co-educational, fee-charging, private day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate Pre-Preparato ...

from 1899 before studying the

Mathematical Tripos The Mathematical Tripos is the mathematics course that is taught in the Faculty of Mathematics, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Origin In its classical nineteenth-century form, the tripos was a di ...

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mo ...

, graduating with a second-class degree in 1907.

Career

Epps became an actuary in 1907, having been introduced to the profession by a family friend. He started working with Alfred Watson as an actuary in government in 1912, acting as secretary to the Actuarial Advisory Committee from then until 1915. He served on various actuarial committees relating to

National Insurance National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their famil ...

, including work on the implications on finance of the

partition of Ireland The Partition of Ireland () was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (UK) divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland (the area today known as the R ...

. In 1921, he won an award for a paper he submitted to the

Institute of Actuaries The Institute of Actuaries was one of the two professional bodies which represented actuaries in the United Kingdom. The institute was based in England, while the other body, the Faculty of Actuaries, was based in Scotland. While the Institute a ...

. Epps served as deputy government actuary from September 1926 until May 1936, having succeeded Alfred Henry on his death, during which time he continued to serve on committees. On 19 May 1936, he succeeded Alfred Watson as government actuary on Watson's death, a role he stayed in until 30 November 1944. He served on the

Beveridge Committee The Beveridge Report, officially entitled ''Social Insurance and Allied Services'' (Command paper, Cmd. 6404), is a government report, published in November 1942, influential in the founding of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It was drafte ...

in 1941, as a member of the committee and as an actuarial adviser, including producing an appendix to the

Beveridge Report The Beveridge Report, officially entitled ''Social Insurance and Allied Services'' ( Cmd. 6404), is a government report, published in November 1942, influential in the founding of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It was drafted by the Lib ...

. He was joint honorary secretary of the Institute of Actuaries in 1928 and 1929, and vice-president of the group in 1930 and 1931.

Personal life

Epps married Leonara Peacock in 1915. After his retirement, they lived in Spaxton,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, where their daughter was a farmer. He died on 8 February 1951.

Honours

Epps became a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries (FIA) in 1913. He was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 1926 Birthday Honours, before being promoted to

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(KBE) in the 1942 Birthday Honours. In addition, he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

(CB) in the 1931 Birthday Honours.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epps, George Selby Washington 1885 births 1951 deaths People educated at Highgate School Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Government actuaries of the United Kingdom People from Sedgemoor (district) Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath