Alick Robin Walsham Harrison

CBE 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 ...

(15 November 1900 – 18 May 1969) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

academic, Warden of

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

, from 1963 until his death in 1969.

Life

Robin Harrison was born on 15 November 1900 in

Hambledon, Surrey Hambledon is a rural scattered village and civil parish in the Waverley borough of Surrey, situated south of Guildford. It is dominated by a buffer zone of fields and woodland, mostly south of the Greensand Ridge escarpment between Witley and ...

and was educated at Haileybury and

. He became a master at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and returned to Merton in 1930. In 1932 he married Margaret, eldest daughter of Sir David Ross. He was a nephew of Sir Francis Younghusband and a cousin of

Eileen Younghusband Dame Eileen Louise Younghusband, DBE (1 January 1902 – 22 May 1981) was internationally known for her research and teaching in the field of social work. Early life Her father was Sir Francis Younghusband (1863–1942), a British explorer a ...

. At the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he entered government service in the Ministry of Food, where he became Deputy Director of Public Relations and Private Secretary to the minister

Lord Woolton Frederick James Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton, (23 August 1883 – 14 December 1964), was an English businessman and politician who served as chairman of the Conservative Party from 1946 to 1955. In April 1940, he was appointed Minister of Food ...

. He was awarded an

OBE 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 ...

in 1943 and made a CBE in 1950. That year he returned to Merton to take up his old job as Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History. He served for a time as Domestic Bursar and was elected Warden in 1963. He was involved in university planning and helped in the foundation of two new colleges,

Wolfson See also Woolf, Woolfe, Wolfe, Wolff, Wolfson and Woolfson (especially for family names). Wolfson or Volfson is a Jewish surname, and may refer to: * Alice Wolfson, American activist and attorney who specializes in women's health * David Wolfson ...

and St. Cross. He was made an honorary fellow of both. He was the author of various academic books mainly dealing with

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

in the

ancient world Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

, including ''The Law of Athens''. He was a man of "untiring scholarship, good sense, and sound judgment". Harrison died on 18 May 1969 in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

References

External links

Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Fellows of Merton College, Oxford Wardens of Merton College, Oxford People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College 1900 births 1970 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English antiquarians People from the Borough of Waverley 20th-century antiquarians {{UK-academic-bio-stub