Sir Alan Roberts Low (11 January 1916 – 18 April 1999) was a New Zealand economist. He was the fifth governor of the

Reserve Bank A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union, and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...

Early life

Low was born in Blenheim in 1916, the son of Benjamin Low. His father became headmaster of

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

Main School and Alan Low attended there before going to

Timaru Boys' High School Timaru Boys' High School (also known as TBHS), established in 1880, is a single sex state (public) secondary school located in the port city of Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. TBHS caters for years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 19 years). At th ...

. He then attended the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

(1934–1937) and graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(honours) in economics. Low served in WWII from 1942 to 1944, and belonged to the 24th Field Ambulance of the 2nd

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

Professional career

Low joined the Reserve Bank in 1938. He became assistant economist in 1949, economic adviser in 1951, assistant governor in 1960, and deputy governor (under Gilbert Wilson) in 1962. Low was Governor of the Reserve Bank from 21 July 1967 to 11 February 1977. Low was a member of various New Zealand delegations to international conferences, including

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

(Cuba, 1947/48),

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...

(France, 1949),

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(Great Britain, 1951), and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

(Australia, 1954). He published various articles in economic journals. He was a director of the

National Bank of New Zealand The National Bank of New Zealand Limited (NBNZ), often referred to as The National Bank, was one of New Zealand's largest banks. Throughout much of its history, the National Bank provided commercial banking services to mainly major industrial and ...

Honours and awards

In the 1977 Queen's Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours, Low was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

. In the same year, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Canterbury (

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

Family

On 19 December 1940, he married Kathleen Harrow, the daughter of E. J. Harrow. They had one son and two daughters. In 1978, the Lows lived in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

. His hobbies included music, gardening, and reading. He died on 18 April 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Low, Alan Roberts 1916 births 1999 deaths People educated at Timaru Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand bankers Governors of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand People from Lower Hutt New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand public servants