Ernest Gowers
Encyclopedia
Sir Ernest Arthur Gowers GCB
GBE
Hon. D.Litt (Manchester) Hon. ARIBA
(2 June 1880 – 16 April 1966) was a British civil servant, now best known for work on style guide
s for writing the English language
.
and at Clare College, Cambridge
, where he gained a first in the classical tripos
in 1902.
His civil service career took him from the Inland Revenue
to the India Office
, and then the Treasury
(where, for a time, he was David Lloyd George
's Principal Private Secretary
), the National Health Insurance Commission, Conciliation and Arbitration Board, the Board of Trade
and finally, as chairman, back to the Inland Revenue. On his appointment as chairman of the Coal Mines Reorganization Commission
in 1930 he retired from the civil service, but undertook a wide range of public service duties thereafter.
During the Second World War he returned to civil service managing London's Regional Civil Defence, as its Senior Regional Commissioner
His chairmanships included a commission on the admission of women into the civil service and a Royal Commission on capital punishment
, set up by the Clement Attlee
government to examine all aspects of the subject. This turned him into a convinced abolitionist. His views were set out in his book A Life for a Life?
The Dictionary of National Biography accounts Gowers ‘one of the greatest public servants of his day’. Among the matters he investigated were the admission of women into the senior branch of the foreign service, and the preservation, maintenance, and use of houses of outstanding historical or architectural interest.
At the invitation of HM Treasury
he wrote Plain Words, a guide to the use of English in 1948. It was designed to woo officials away from pompous and over-elaborate writing, and was so successful that the Treasury asked for a sequel, The ABC of Plain Words, which was published in 1951. Both these works were slim paperbacks. Their success encouraged Her Majesty's Stationery Office
to commission a hardback book combining the best of both earlier publications. This was The Complete Plain Words, published in 1954, and never (in various revisions) out of print since.
Its success was wide – far beyond the original audience of civil servants – and Gowers was invited by the Oxford University Press
to prepare a new edition of Fowler's Modern English Usage
, which was in need of updating, having been in print since 1926 with only very minor changes. The second edition was published in 1965 and remained in print for three decades, being succeeded by a third edition in 1996. Gowers' work in improving standards of English led to his being made President of the English Association
.
He spent his later years farming in Sussex. He died at King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, Sussex, on 16 April 1966. Ernest Gowers was the grandfather of composer Patrick Gowers
and great grandfather of mathematician and Fields Medal
list Timothy Gowers
.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
GBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Hon. D.Litt (Manchester) Hon. ARIBA
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
(2 June 1880 – 16 April 1966) was a British civil servant, now best known for work on style guide
Style guide
A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field...
s for writing the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Life
He was born in London, the younger of the two sons of the eminent neurologist Sir William Richard Gowers. He was educated at Rugby SchoolRugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
and at Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs"...
, where he gained a first in the classical tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
in 1902.
His civil service career took him from the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
to the India Office
India Office
The India Office was a British government department created in 1858 to oversee the colonial administration of India, i.e. the modern-day nations of Bangladesh, Burma, India, and Pakistan, as well as territories in South-east and Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of the east coast of Africa...
, and then the Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
(where, for a time, he was David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
's Principal Private Secretary
Principal Private Secretary
In the British Civil Service and Australian Public Service the Principal Private Secretary is the civil servant who runs a cabinet minister's private office...
), the National Health Insurance Commission, Conciliation and Arbitration Board, the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
and finally, as chairman, back to the Inland Revenue. On his appointment as chairman of the Coal Mines Reorganization Commission
Coal Commission
The Coal Commission was a United Kingdom government agency, created to own and manage coal reserves. It was set up in 1938 and ceased to operate on 1 January 1947.- History :...
in 1930 he retired from the civil service, but undertook a wide range of public service duties thereafter.
During the Second World War he returned to civil service managing London's Regional Civil Defence, as its Senior Regional Commissioner
His chairmanships included a commission on the admission of women into the civil service and a Royal Commission on capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, set up by the Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
government to examine all aspects of the subject. This turned him into a convinced abolitionist. His views were set out in his book A Life for a Life?
The Dictionary of National Biography accounts Gowers ‘one of the greatest public servants of his day’. Among the matters he investigated were the admission of women into the senior branch of the foreign service, and the preservation, maintenance, and use of houses of outstanding historical or architectural interest.
At the invitation of HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
he wrote Plain Words, a guide to the use of English in 1948. It was designed to woo officials away from pompous and over-elaborate writing, and was so successful that the Treasury asked for a sequel, The ABC of Plain Words, which was published in 1951. Both these works were slim paperbacks. Their success encouraged Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Office of Public Sector Information
The Office of Public Sector Information is the body responsible for the operation of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and of other public information services of the United Kingdom...
to commission a hardback book combining the best of both earlier publications. This was The Complete Plain Words, published in 1954, and never (in various revisions) out of print since.
Its success was wide – far beyond the original audience of civil servants – and Gowers was invited by the Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
to prepare a new edition of Fowler's Modern English Usage
Fowler's Modern English Usage
A Dictionary of Modern English Usage , by Henry Watson Fowler , is a style guide to British English usage, pronunciation, and writing...
, which was in need of updating, having been in print since 1926 with only very minor changes. The second edition was published in 1965 and remained in print for three decades, being succeeded by a third edition in 1996. Gowers' work in improving standards of English led to his being made President of the English Association
English Association
The English Association is a British association dedicated to furthering the study of English language and literature in schools, higher education institutes and amongst the public in general....
.
He spent his later years farming in Sussex. He died at King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, Sussex, on 16 April 1966. Ernest Gowers was the grandfather of composer Patrick Gowers
Patrick Gowers
William Patrick Gowers is an English composer mainly known for his film scores.-Film music:Gowers' works include the following music scores: Comic Act , Forever Green , The Hound of the Baskervilles , The Sign of Four , Whoops Apocalypse , Anna Karenina , Smiley's People , I remember...
and great grandfather of mathematician and Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
list Timothy Gowers
William Timothy Gowers
William Timothy Gowers FRS is a British mathematician. He is a Royal Society Research Professor at the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at Cambridge University, where he also holds the Rouse Ball chair, and is a Fellow of Trinity College...
.