Ivison Macadam
Encyclopedia
Sir
Ivison Stevenson Macadam KCVO
CBE
was a Scot, who was the first Director-General of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and the founding President of the National Union of Students
.
, he was the second son of Colonel William Ivison Macadam, VD, FRSE, FIC, FCS and Sarah Constance MacDonald. Educated privately in Scotland, he was the second King's Scout to be invested in Scotland, and the first Silver Wolf Scout in Scotland, awarded for 'services of the most exceptional character by gift of the Chief Scout'. In both cases he was invested by Chief Scout and founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell.
, attached to the City of Edinburgh (Fortress) Royal Engineers. He was the youngest major
in the British Army
as Officer Commanding Royal Engineers, Archangel, North Russian Expeditionary Force (dispatches thrice). He was awarded the OBE in 1919 at the age of 25 for exceptional service there.
.
He was the founder President of the National Union of Students
, President of King's College London Students' Union, and he was one of the original trustees of the National Union of Students, being elected their first President in 1922 when the Inter-Varsity Association and the International Students Bureau merged at a joint meeting held at the University of London. The main students' union building at King's College's Strand campus is named the Macadam Building in his honour. In 2004, KCLSU President Michael Champion instituted the Macadam Cup, a day of sporting excellence between medical and non-medical students at the College.
Later he was a member of the King's College Council 1957-74; Delegacy 1960-74; vice Chairman 1971-74 and Fellow.
.
In this capacity he travelled to the then British Dominions and helped the independent establishment of the various Commonwealth InstItutes of International Affairs or where such bodies had earlier been established in both Australia and Canada to generate financial support from benefactors there for them to have their own full time secretariat ( the Australian Institute of International Affairs funding 1934;The Canadian funding 1932 ; The formation of the Institutes in New Zealand 1934; The South Africa 1934: The Pakistan 1947.
He was also responsible for organising numerous of international conferences around the world (eg Canada 1932, Australia 1933, New Zealand 1934 etc.)
During World War II
he was Assistant Director General and Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Information between 1939 – 41.
After his work in establishing the Ministry, he returned to the Royal Institute.
He also became the editor of The Annual Register of World Events 1947-73, the world’s oldest annual reference book founded by Edmund Burke
. He was also a member of the editorial board (the Moot) of The Round Table: A Quarterly Review of the Politics of the British Commonwealth 1930-1974. Britain’s oldest international journal. (Now published as The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs).
His other positions included:
He was responsible for the official royal programs under the auspices of the King George’s Jubilee Trust for the processions and services for King George V and Queen Mary’s Jubilee, 1935; The Coronation of their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, 1937; The wedding of the Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten, RN, 1947; The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953; the wedding of the Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones,1960 and the wedding of Princess Alexandra of Kent and Angus Ogilvy, 1963. These were sold on behalf of King George’s Jubilee Trust mainly along the parade routes by the Boy Scouts but also in news agents and bookshops. The substantial additional funds thus raised helped supplement King George's Jubilee Trust’s work in support of young people, youth organizations and youth projects.
and was a descendent of one of its founding families. Before marriage, she was Assistant to the then US Secretary of State, Henry L. Stimson
, and the couple met at the international conference Macadam had arranged at Banff, Canada in 1932. After their marriage, she was of invaluable support to her husband in opening doors both through her wide contacts there and through her American family in helping him to raise the substantial funding required for the operations of The Royal Institute of International Affairs. She was later Chairman of the Eastern Counties Women’s Conservative Associations.
The couple had four children: Helen Ivison Taylor, William Ivison Macadam, Elliott Corbett Macadam and Caroline Alta Colacicchi (who writes under name Alta Macadam). The couple lived in London and at Runton Old Hall, East Runton
, Norfolk
where keen sportsman Macadam would shoot and fly fish.
He died on 22 December 1974, at his home at 16 Upper Belgrave Street, London.
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Ivison Stevenson Macadam KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
was a Scot, who was the first Director-General of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and the founding President of the National Union of Students
National Union of Students
-British Isles:*National Union of Students**National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland**National Union of Students Scotland**National Union of Students Wales-Scandinavia:*Danish National Union of Students*National Union of Students in Finland...
.
Early life
Born 18 July 1894 at Slioch, Lady Road, EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, he was the second son of Colonel William Ivison Macadam, VD, FRSE, FIC, FCS and Sarah Constance MacDonald. Educated privately in Scotland, he was the second King's Scout to be invested in Scotland, and the first Silver Wolf Scout in Scotland, awarded for 'services of the most exceptional character by gift of the Chief Scout'. In both cases he was invested by Chief Scout and founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell.
World War One
Macadam served in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, attached to the City of Edinburgh (Fortress) Royal Engineers. He was the youngest major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
as Officer Commanding Royal Engineers, Archangel, North Russian Expeditionary Force (dispatches thrice). He was awarded the OBE in 1919 at the age of 25 for exceptional service there.
Education, NUS
Ivison like many of his generation who served in World War I attended university at a later age than normal after his wartime service. He was educated at Melville College, Edinburgh; King's College, London and Christ's College, CambridgeChrist's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
.
He was the founder President of the National Union of Students
National Union of Students
-British Isles:*National Union of Students**National Union of Students-Union of Students in Ireland**National Union of Students Scotland**National Union of Students Wales-Scandinavia:*Danish National Union of Students*National Union of Students in Finland...
, President of King's College London Students' Union, and he was one of the original trustees of the National Union of Students, being elected their first President in 1922 when the Inter-Varsity Association and the International Students Bureau merged at a joint meeting held at the University of London. The main students' union building at King's College's Strand campus is named the Macadam Building in his honour. In 2004, KCLSU President Michael Champion instituted the Macadam Cup, a day of sporting excellence between medical and non-medical students at the College.
Later he was a member of the King's College Council 1957-74; Delegacy 1960-74; vice Chairman 1971-74 and Fellow.
Career
Macadam was the first Secretary and Director-General of the Royal Institute of International Affairs between 1929 and 1955, based at Chatham HouseChatham House
Chatham House, formally known as The Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in London whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's leading...
.
In this capacity he travelled to the then British Dominions and helped the independent establishment of the various Commonwealth InstItutes of International Affairs or where such bodies had earlier been established in both Australia and Canada to generate financial support from benefactors there for them to have their own full time secretariat ( the Australian Institute of International Affairs funding 1934;The Canadian funding 1932 ; The formation of the Institutes in New Zealand 1934; The South Africa 1934: The Pakistan 1947.
He was also responsible for organising numerous of international conferences around the world (eg Canada 1932, Australia 1933, New Zealand 1934 etc.)
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was Assistant Director General and Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Information between 1939 – 41.
After his work in establishing the Ministry, he returned to the Royal Institute.
He also became the editor of The Annual Register of World Events 1947-73, the world’s oldest annual reference book founded by Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
. He was also a member of the editorial board (the Moot) of The Round Table: A Quarterly Review of the Politics of the British Commonwealth 1930-1974. Britain’s oldest international journal. (Now published as The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs).
His other positions included:
- Chairman 1960-72 (later Deputy President) of the Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship
- President, County of Norfolk St. John Ambulance Brigade 1957-67
- Chairman of the Board of Governors, Runton Hill School 1956-66
Royal service
Macadam was a founding Member of the Council, King George’s Jubilee Trust 1935-74 (Vice-Chairman 1972-74), which is a part of the Royal Trusts under the Chairmanship of HRH the Prince of Wales.He was responsible for the official royal programs under the auspices of the King George’s Jubilee Trust for the processions and services for King George V and Queen Mary’s Jubilee, 1935; The Coronation of their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, 1937; The wedding of the Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten, RN, 1947; The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953; the wedding of the Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones,1960 and the wedding of Princess Alexandra of Kent and Angus Ogilvy, 1963. These were sold on behalf of King George’s Jubilee Trust mainly along the parade routes by the Boy Scouts but also in news agents and bookshops. The substantial additional funds thus raised helped supplement King George's Jubilee Trust’s work in support of young people, youth organizations and youth projects.
Personal life
Macadam married an American Caroline Ladd Corbett, who was born and raised in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and was a descendent of one of its founding families. Before marriage, she was Assistant to the then US Secretary of State, Henry L. Stimson
Henry L. Stimson
Henry Lewis Stimson was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy. He twice served as Secretary of War 1911–1913 under Republican William Howard Taft and 1940–1945, under Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the latter role he was a leading hawk...
, and the couple met at the international conference Macadam had arranged at Banff, Canada in 1932. After their marriage, she was of invaluable support to her husband in opening doors both through her wide contacts there and through her American family in helping him to raise the substantial funding required for the operations of The Royal Institute of International Affairs. She was later Chairman of the Eastern Counties Women’s Conservative Associations.
The couple had four children: Helen Ivison Taylor, William Ivison Macadam, Elliott Corbett Macadam and Caroline Alta Colacicchi (who writes under name Alta Macadam). The couple lived in London and at Runton Old Hall, East Runton
East Runton
East Runton is a small village in Norfolk, England situated close to the North Sea. It was once a traditional fishing village outside Cromer but is now a popular holiday destination for camping and caravan holidays. The village is within the parish of Runton that also includes West Runton. The...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
where keen sportsman Macadam would shoot and fly fish.
He died on 22 December 1974, at his home at 16 Upper Belgrave Street, London.
Awards
- Officer of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe 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...
, 1919 - Commander of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe 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...
, 1935 - MVO (Member of the Victorian Order) 1937
- CVO (Commander of the Victorian Order) 1953
- Knight BachelorKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
, 1955 - Elevated Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, 1974
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
- Commander of the Order of St. John