Alexander Milne ( fl 1818, died 1850) was a British civil servant who worked as a Commissioner of Woods and Forests for many years. Milne first became a commissioner on 14 August 1834 when

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

appointed him a "Commissioner of His Majesty's Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, and Buildings". The Commission was a three-man body which managed the public and commercial functions of Crown land in Britain. The Commission was composed of a First Commissioner, who headed the body, and two co-commissioners. Throughout his career with the commission, which ran from 1834 until his death in 1850, Milne served as a co-commissioner. On his first commission Milne worked with Sir John Hobhouse, the First Commissioner, and Sir Benjamin Charles Stephenson. Milne was reappointed to the commission, which had changed its remit to "Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works, and Public Buildings", by the King on 23 December 1834. Stephenson remained on the commission but

Lord Granville Somerset Lord Granville Charles Henry Somerset PC (27 December 1792 – 23 February 1848) was a British Tory politician. He held office under Sir Robert Peel as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between 1834 and 1835 and as Chancellor of the Duch ...

was appointed as the new First Commissioner. Milne and Stephenson reappointed once more on 28 April 1835, with Viscount Duncannon serving as First Commissioner. This composition was retained until 14 June 1839 when

Charles Alexander Gore Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

was appointed by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

to replace Stephenson. The Commission's title was changed to the "Commission of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works, and Buildings", the last time it would change during Milne's life. Milne and Gore were reappointed on 16 September 1841 with the Earl of Lincoln replacing Duncannon at the head. Milne and Gore were once again reappointed on 2 March 1846 with Viscount Canning as First Commissioner. Milne was appointed to the Commission for the last time on 7 July 1846, with Gore returning as a co-commissioner and Viscount Morpeth as First Commissioner. Milne died in 1850, having served on the Commission for 16 consecutive years of its 41-year existence. Milne served with six different First Commissioners and just two separate co-commissioners. His replacement on the commission was

Thomas Francis Kennedy Thomas Francis Kennedy (11 November 17881 April 1879), Scottish politician, was born near Ayr in 1788. He studied for the bar and became advocate in 1811. Having been elected Member of Parliament for the Ayr Burghs in 1818, he devoted the gre ...

who was appointed on 28 August 1850. Milne was appointed to be a member of the Improvement of the Metropolis Commission on 30 November 1842. This commission, whose members did not receive a salary, sat from 1842 to 1851 and was tasked with "enquiring into and considering the most effectual means of improving the metropolis, and of providing increased facilities of communication within the same". The commission was composed of some of the leading architects and politicians of the time. Milne sat on the commission alongside the Earl of Lincoln and Gore as well as Lord Lyttelton, Lord Colborne, James Charles Herries, Sir Robert Harry Inglis, Sir Charles Lemon, Henry Thomas Hope,

Henry Gally Knight Henry Gally Knight, F.R.S. (2 December 1786 – 9 February 1846) was a British politician, traveller and writer. Biography Knight was the only son of Henry Gally (afterwards Gally Knight), barrister, of Langold, and was educated at Eton and T ...

, Robert Smirke and

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also respons ...

. On 27 April 1848 Milne was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (Civil Division) for his work as a commissioner of woods and forests. He was a friend of Charles Babbage and

William Huskisson William Huskisson (11 March 177015 September 1830) was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool. He is commonly known as the world's first widely reported railway passenger casu ...

and some of his correspondence with those men, and others, is held by

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

. He was also close to the architect and civil engineer

Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scot ...

and, along with John Dickinson (of the House of Commons), served as executor of his

last will and testament A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person ( executor) is to manage the property until its final distributi ...

after his death in 1834.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milne, Alexander 1850 deaths British civil servants Companions of the Order of the Bath Year of birth missing 19th-century British civil servants