Sir Alan Bedford Urwick KCVO CMG KStJ (2 May 1930 – 8 December 2016[1]) was a British diplomat, who served as Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons from 1989 to 1995.
Sir Alan Bedford Urwick | |
|---|---|
| Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons | |
| In office 1989–1995 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Sir Victor Le Fanu |
| Succeeded by | Sir Peter Jennings |
| British High Commissioner to Canada | |
| In office 1987–1989 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Sir Derek Day |
| Succeeded by | Brian Fall |
| British Ambassador to Egypt | |
| In office 1985–1987 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Sir Michael Weir |
| Succeeded by | Sir James Adams |
| British Ambassador to Jordan | |
| In office 1979–1984 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | John Moberly |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Coles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 May 1930 London, United Kingdom |
| Died | 8 December 2016 (aged 85–86) Slaugham, West Sussex |
| Alma mater | New College, Oxford University |
Early life
editAlan Bedford Urwick was born on 2 May 1930, in London.[2][3] He was the younger of the two children, of Lt. Col. Lyndall Fownes Urwick OBE MC and Joan Wilhelmina Saunders (née Bedford).[1]
Lyndall F. Urwick was one of the British pioneers of scientific management prior to the Second World War. In 1934, he set up his own management consultancy practice, Urwick, Orr & Partners.[4]
Alan Urwick was educated at Dragon School in Oxford, and then at Rugby School in Warwickshire.[5]
Alan Urwick graduated from New College, Oxford, obtaining a first in Modern History in 1952.[2]
Career
editMI6
editForeign Office
editUrwick joined the British diplomatic service in 1952 and undertook tours of duty in Western Europe, the Middle East, Moscow, and Washington, D.C.[6] He served as the United Kingdom's ambassador to Jordan (1979–1984) and to Egypt (1985–1987),[7] and was the British High Commissioner in Canada (1987–1989).[8] He left the diplomatic service in 1989.[9]
Serjeant-at-Arms
editHe then served as Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons until his retirement in 1995.[6]
Retirement and death
editIn retirement, Urwick served as the Chairman of the Anglo-Jordanian Society from 1997 to 2001.[1] He arranged for a memorial service to be held at St. Paul's Cathedral following the death of King Hussein of Jordan in 1999.[2]
Urwick died on 8 December 2016, at the age of 86, at his home in Slaugham, West Sussex.[10]
A memorial service was held at St. Margaret's Church in Westminster Abbey on 19 October 2017.[11]
Personal life
editUrwick married Marta Montagne, the daughter of the Peruvian ambassador to Lebanon, in 1960 in Beirut.[3] They had three sons together, Christopher, Richard, and Michael.[3] Urwick spoke fluent French, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, and Arabic.[3] Urwick was a member of the Garrick Club and an honorary member of the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants.[1][4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Urwick, Sir Alan (Bedford)". Who's Who. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "Sir Alan Urwick, diplomat and reforming Serjeant at Arms – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 13 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Obituary: Sir Alan Urwick". The Times. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ a b "The Urwick Prize". Worshipful Company of Management Consultants. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "Sir Alan Bedford Urwick". Burke's Peerage. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Sir Alan Urwick". Vol 263 cc1672-4. Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 19 July 1995. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
- ^ "Previous Ambassadors". UK in Egypt: The official website for the British Embassy in Egypt. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
- ^ "Previous High Commissioners". UK in Canada: The official website for the British High Commission in Canada. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
- ^ Tony Newton, Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (19 July 1995). "Sir Alan Urwick". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 263. House of Commons. col. 1672.
- ^ "URWICK - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements". The Daily Telegraph Announcements. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "Court Circular | The Royal Family". The Royal Household. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
Further reading
edit- "Sir Alan Bedford Urwick". Burke's Peerage and Gentry. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
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