Sir Alexander Gray (6 January 1882 – 17 February 1968) was a Scottish civil servant, economist,

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

, translator, writer and poet.

Life and work

He was born at 1 Marshall Street in

Lochee Lochee () is an area in the west of Dundee, Scotland. Until the 19th century, it was a separate town, but was eventually surrounded by the expanding Dundee. It is notable for being home to Camperdown Works, which was the largest jute production ...

near Dundee the son of John Young Gray, an art teacher at the

High School of Dundee The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only priv ...

, and his wife, Mary Young. Gray spent his childhood in Dundee, and was educated at the High School of Dundee, going on to study mathematics and economics at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, graduating MA in 1902. This was followed by periods of study at

Göttingen University Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The o ...

and at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he worked in the civil service, employing his linguistic skills to produce anti-German propaganda. In 1921 he was appointed professor of

Political Economy Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...

Aberdeen University , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

, and whilst there he published one of his most important economic works, ''The Development of Economic Doctrine'', in 1931. In 1934 he took up the equivalent post at Edinburgh University's

School of Economics In the history of economic thought, a school of economic thought is a group of economic thinkers who share or shared a common perspective on the way economies work. While economists do not always fit into particular schools, particularly in modern ...

, which he held until his retirement in 1956. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

he returned to work for the civil service, returning to his professorship at Edinburgh after the war. In 1948 he published a study of the life and doctrines of Adam Smith. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1942. His proposers were Edmund Taylor Whittaker, Sir

Ernest Wedderburn Sir Ernest MacLagan Wedderburn (3 February 1884 – 3 June 1958) was a Scottish lawyer, and a significant figure both in the civic life of Edinburgh and in the legal establishment. He held the posts of Professor of Conveyancing in the Universi ...

James Pickering Kendall James Pickering Kendall FRS FRSE (30 July 1889, in Chobham, Surrey – 14 June 1978, in Edinburgh) was a British chemist. Life Kendall was born in Chobham, Surrey to soldier William Henry Kendall of the Royal Horse Artillery, and his second w ...

, and James Ritchie. He served as the Society's Vice-President 1948 to 1951. In addition to his economic writings, Gray was an active composer and translator of poetry. His work consisted of original poems written in English, and translations of the

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

and

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

poetry of Germany and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

into Scots. Some of his work featured in ''Northern Numbers'', a periodical founded and edited by Hugh MacDiarmid. Of his English poems, ''Scotland'' is internationally renowned, the third stanza being frequently quoted. This quote features on the Canongate Wall at the new Scottish Parliament building:

This is my country,
The land that begat me.
These windy spaces
Are surely my own.
And those who toil here
In the sweat of their faces
Are flesh of my flesh,
And bone of my bone.

His translations into Scots constitute the greater part of his work, and is the main basis for his reputation. His translations include a collection of ballads, ''Arrows'', from German, and ''Historical Ballads of Denmark'' and ''Four and Forty'' from

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

. He translated many German poets, including von Kotzebue, Müller, Uhland, Herder but, above all, Heine. He died in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

on 17 February 1968.

Family

In 1909 he married Alice Gunn.

Bibliography

* ''Adam Smith'' (1948) *
The Socialist Tradition: Moses to Lenin
' (1946) * ''Any man's life: A book of poems'' (1924) * ''Arrows. A book of German ballads and folksongs attempted in Scots.'' (1932) *
The Development of Economic Doctrine: An Introductory Survey
'' (1931, second edition 1980) * ''Economics : yesterday and to-morrow.'' (1949) * ''Family endowment: a critical analysis.'' (1927) * ''Four-and-forty. A selection of Danish ballads presented in Scots'' (1954) * ''Gossip: A new book of poems'' (1928) * ''Historical ballads of Denmark'' (1958) * ''New Leviathan: some illustrations of current German political theories.'' (1915) * ''Poems''. (1925) * ''Robert Burns, man and poet. Address to the Scottish Arts Club ... 1944.'' (1944) * ''Scottish staple at Veere.'' (1909) * ''Sir Halewyn. Examples in European balladry and folk song.'' (1949) * ''Some aspects of national health insurance.'' (1923) * ''Songs and ballads, chiefly from Heine.'' (1920) * ''Songs from Heine (Schumann's "Dichterliebe")'' (1928) * ''Timorous civility a Scots miscellany'' * ''True pastime: some observations on the German attitude towards war''. (1915) * ''Upright sheaf: Germany's intentions after the war''. (1915)

References

External links

Literary Encyclopedia article on Gray
– gives some examples of his poetry.
History of the School of Economics at Edinburgh
– deals with Gray's time at Edinburgh.

( National Library of Scotland) holds Gray's papers. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Alexander 1882 births 1968 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh People educated at the High School of Dundee Scots language Scottish economists Scottish scholars and academics Scottish translators Translators from Danish Translators from German Academics of the University of Aberdeen Academics of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh University of Paris alumni Scottish anti-communists Place of birth missing 20th-century Scottish poets Scottish male poets 20th-century British translators Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Poets from Dundee People from Lochee 20th-century British male writers Scottish Renaissance British expatriates in France

Life and work

Family

Bibliography

See also

References

External links