Sir Matthew Stevenson, KCB, CMG (21 April 1910 – 28 May 1981) was a Scottish civil servant. Born on 21 April 1910, Stevenson was the son of James Stevenson (1872–1925), a blacksmith and professional footballer, and his wife Jessie Jane, ''née'' Strachan. Stevenson attended the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

before he entered HM Civil Service in 1931 as a junior tax inspector. He was seconded to

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ec ...

in 1946, a position which was made permanent. Promotions followed and in 1952–53 he was abroad on diplomatic work.J. M. Lee
"Stevenson, Sir Matthew"
''

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' (online ed.,

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, 2008). Retrieved 8 February 2022. He was appointed a Companion of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) in the

1953 Coronation Honours The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in ''The London Gazette'' on 1 June 1953.New Zealand list: The reci ...

. Stevenson was appointed a deputy secretary at the Ministry of Power in 1961 and was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(CB) in the

1961 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1961 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

. He was promoted to be the ministry's

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day ...

in 1965, serving until 1966, when he was appointed Permanent Secretary of the

Ministry of Housing and Local Government The Ministry of Housing and Local Government was a United Kingdom government department formed following the Second World War, covering the areas of housing and local government. It was formed, as the Ministry of Local Government and Planning, ...

, serving until retirement in 1970, much of the time under the minister

Richard Crossman Richard Howard Stafford Crossman (15 December 1907 – 5 April 1974) was a British Labour Party politician. A university classics lecturer by profession, he was elected a Member of Parliament in 1945 and became a significant figure among the ...

, in whose published diaries Stevenson features. Shortly after his final appointment, he was promoted to Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the

1966 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1966 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those co ...

.
The London Gazette
', 3 June 1966 (supplement, issue 4404), p. 6531. In retirement, he completed an inquiry into the Crown Agents in 1972, which was published in 1977. He died on 28 May 1981.

References

1910 births 1981 deaths Scottish civil servants Alumni of the University of Glasgow Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Civil servants in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government {{UK-gov-bio-stub