325:
mischievous and the duly constituted authorities are composed of fools or rogues… Accordingly we do not regard activities which are designed to bring the duly constituted authorities into contempt as necessarily subversive; they are only subversive if they are calculated to incite persons to disobey the law, or to change the
Government by unconstitutional means. This doctrine gives, of course, great and indeed dangerous liberty to persons who desire revolution, or desire to impede the war effort… but the readiness to take this risk is the cardinal distinction between democracy and totalitarianism.
243:
in 1904, where he was private secretary to successive secretaries of state. In 1917 Maxwell was acting chief inspector of reformatory and industrial schools and it was probably at this time that he became interested in delinquency. In 1924 he was made an assistant secretary and in 1928 when he
324:
There would be widespread opposition to such a
Regulation as inconsistent with the historic notions of English liberty. Our tradition is that while orders issued by the duly constituted authority must be obeyed, every civilian is at liberty to show, if he can, that such orders are silly or
284:
Alexander
Maxwell in particular helped me with wise and stimulating advice. How lucky I was to have him!… Unruffled amidst all the alarms and excursions that periodically shake a Ministry of public order, he possessed the imperturbable assurance essential to a department of historic
311:
On 10 July 1940 the
Security Executive, in response to communist propaganda against various government departments, approached the Home Office to consider the drafting of a new defence regulation making it an offence to attempt to subvert duly constituted authority. Maxwell and
41:
295:
During the Second World War he worked to try and trammel, as much as possible, the state's restrictions on civil liberties. He dealt with the imprisonment of enemy aliens and the treatment of those detained under the
685:
280:, Maxwell's private secretary from 1939, stated that he had a fervent belief that the Home Office had important duty to safeguard liberty. Years later, Sir Samuel, then Viscount Templewood, would write:
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276:
was home secretary, Maxwell was promoted to permanent under-secretary. He held the post for the next ten years, during which he became the most prominent and respected member of the department.
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52:
215:, on 9 March 1880, the eldest son of the Revd Joseph Matthew Townsend Maxwell, a Congregational minister, and his wife, Louisa Maria Brely Snell, a Quaker GP. He was educated at
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196:
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had been appointed to follow him as
Permanent Secretary at the Home Office. In retirement Maxwell was a member of the royal commission on capital punishment in 1949.
690:
675:
396:
183:
26:
330:
Hinsley, F. H. & Simkins, C. A. G. (1990). British
Intelligence in the Second World War. Vol IV (Security and Counter-Intelligence). HMSO. pp. 57-58.
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308:, Maxwell's private secretary from 1939, stated that he had a fervent belief that the Home Office had important duty to safeguard liberty.
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256:; the idea was Paterson's but the administration was done by Maxwell. The first open borstal was started in 1930 at
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in 1903. He won the
Matthew Arnold Memorial Prize in 1904 and the chancellor's English essay prize in 1905.
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in addition to having to deal with the
Mosleys. It was on his advice that the government in 1940 sent out
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On 10 August 1948 it was announced that
Maxwell was to retire at the end of September, and that
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British
Intelligence in the Second World War. Vol IV (Security and Counter-Intelligence)
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Maxwell married Dr Jessie McNaughten Campbell, daughter of the Revd John Campbell, of
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on 19 August 1919. The couple had two sons. From 1948 to 1950 he was governor of
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to sift those detainees whose sympathies were genuinely with the Allied cause.
264:. In 1932 Maxwell became deputy under-secretary of state at the Home Office.
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348:
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368:
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were against the idea and Maxwell wrote to the Home Secretary,
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Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for the Home Department
637:
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
53:
Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
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Viscount Templewood (1954). Nine Troubled Years. p. 229.
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Duncan Fairn R., "Maxwell, Sir Alexander (1880–1963)",
197:
Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office
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Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
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Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
363:. He died on 1 July 1963 at his home, Chasemores,
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513:Hinsley, F. H. & Simkins, C. A. G. (1990).
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451:Family Law in the Twentieth Century: A History
207:Alexander Maxwell was born at Sharston Mount,
503:Hart J. M. (1998). Ask Me No More. Chapter 6.
8:
706:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
610:(Supplement). 29 December 1944. p. 26.
397:Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
191:(9 March 1880 – 1 July 1963) was a British
701:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
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590:(Supplement). 30 December 1938. p. 4.
39:
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570:(Supplement). 19 June 1936. p. 4004.
393:Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
550:(Supplement). 30 May 1924. p. 4409.
454:. Oxford University Press. p. 799.
432:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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475:Duncan Fairn, R. (6 February 1953).
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691:Companions of the Order of the Bath
676:People educated at Plymouth College
527:"Sir Alexander Maxwell To Retire",
351:, at the Friends’ meeting-house at
385:Companion of the Order of the Bath
14:
223:. He obtained first classes in
681:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
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252:on the concept of the open
195:notable for his service as
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375:. His wife survived him.
248:. He worked closely with
117:Northen Etchells, Cheshire
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203:Early life and education
531:, 11 August 1948, p. 4.
517:. HMSO. pp. 57–58.
448:Cretney, S. M. (2003).
436:Oxford University Press
244:became chairman of the
477:"Prisons Without Bars"
383:Maxwell was appointed
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298:Defence Regulation 18B
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306:Jenifer Margaret Hart
278:Jenifer Margaret Hart
221:Christ Church, Oxford
180:Sir Alexander Maxwell
155:Christ Church, Oxford
22:Sir Alexander Maxwell
621:Government offices
395:(KCB) in 1939, and
268:Permanent Secretary
239:Maxwell joined the
219:before going up to
199:from 1938 to 1948.
134:Coldharbour, Surrey
607:The London Gazette
587:The London Gazette
567:The London Gazette
547:The London Gazette
250:Alexander Paterson
229:literae humaniores
225:honour moderations
654:
653:
644:Succeeded by
318:Sir John Anderson
314:Sir Horace Wilson
246:Prison Commission
177:
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76:Sir Russell Scott
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626:Preceded by
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438:, September 2004
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337:Sir Frank Newsam
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274:Sir Samuel Hoare
217:Plymouth College
209:Northen Etchells
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150:Plymouth College
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115:Sharston Mount,
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98:Personal details
88:Sir Frank Newsam
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262:Nottinghamshire
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484:. Retrieved
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235:Early career
227:in 1901 and
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129:(1963-07-01)
113:9 March 1880
83:Succeeded by
60:
15:
671:1963 deaths
666:1880 births
602:"No. 36866"
582:"No. 34585"
562:"No. 34296"
542:"No. 32941"
365:Coldharbour
285:traditions.
241:Home Office
127:1 July 1963
71:Preceded by
660:Categories
641:1938–1948
403:References
164:Occupation
142:Alma mater
109:1880-03-09
529:The Times
349:Kirkcaldy
136:, England
119:, England
65:1938–1948
61:In office
328:—
302:Paterson
288:—
213:Cheshire
379:Honours
369:Dorking
367:, near
353:Jordans
254:borstal
486:9 June
458:
373:Surrey
186:
29:
646:Sir
628:Sir
488:2018
456:ISBN
124:Died
103:Born
260:in
188:KBE
184:GCB
31:KBE
27:GCB
662::
604:.
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564:.
544:.
496:^
479:.
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107:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
