Alan Don
| The Very Revd Alan Don KCVO | |
|---|---|
| Dean of Westminster | |
| Church | Westminster Abbey |
| In office | 1946-1959 |
| Predecessor | Paul de Labilliere |
| Successor | Eric Abbott |
| Other posts |
Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons (1936–1946) Chaplain and Secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury (1931–1941) Provost of St Paul's Cathedral, Dundee (1921–1931) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1917 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
3 January 1885 Dundee, UK |
| Died | 3 May 1966 (aged 81) |
| Nationality | British (Scottish) |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Spouse | Muriel Gwenda McConnel |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
Alan Campbell Don KCVO (3 January 1885 – 3 May 1966) was a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, editor of the Scottish Book of Common Prayer,[1] chaplain and secretary to Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury, from 1931 to 1941, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1936 to 1946 and Dean of Westminster from 1946 to 1959.
Early life and ordained ministry
Born into a manufacturing Dundee family,[2] the son of Robert Bogle Don and Lucy Flora Campbell, he was educated at Rugby and Magdalen College, Oxford. Deciding the family business was not for him,[3] studied for ordination at Cuddesdon College before becoming a curate in Redcar followed by an incumbency in Yorkshire.
There then followed a 10-year period as provost of the cathedral in his native city. From 1931 until 1941 he was secretary to Cosmo Gordon Lang and became a chaplain to King George V.[4] Already the speaker’s chaplain[5] in 1941 he became a canon of Westminster Abbey as rector of St. Margaret's, Westminster, commonly called "the parish church of the House of Commons".[6]
Dean of Westminster
This was followed in 1946 [7] by elevation to the post of Dean of Westminster,[8] a post he was to hold for 13 years, a period which included the Queen's Coronation [9]
Retirement
He retired to Canterbury where, although he was married,[10] he and his wife met only once a week for lunch.[11] He died on 3 May 1966.[12]
References
- ↑ London, SPCK 1929
- ↑ The Times, Wednesday, 4 May 1966; p. 14; Issue 56622; col F Dr. Alan Don Former Dean Of Westminster
- ↑ “Who was Who” 1897-1990 London, A & C Black, 1991 ISBN 0-7136-3457-X
- ↑ The Times, Saturday, 27 October 1934; p. 15; Issue 46896; col E Chaplain to the King-new appointments
- ↑ The Times, Friday, 21 February 1936; p. 14; Issue 47304; col G Speaker's Chaplain
- ↑ Westminster Abbey: St. Margaret's Church, accessed 25 April 2016
- ↑ The Times, Thursday, May 16, 1946; pg. 4; Issue 50453; col F The Deanery Of Westminster Canon A. C. Don Appointed
- ↑ Lambeth Palace Library “Westminster Abbey. Order of service for the installation of the Reverend Alan Campbell Don, D.D., as dean of the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter, on Thursday, June 6th, 1946” Catalogue number G199 37.04
- ↑ The Times, Monday, Jun 01, 1953; pg. 15; Issue 52636; col A The Coronation 1953
- ↑ To Muriel née McConnell, from 1914 until her death in 1963-”Who was who (Ibid)
- ↑ Vickers, Hugo (2006). Elizabeth: The Queen Mother. London: Arrow Books/Random House. ISBN 0-09-947662-2
- ↑ Lambeth Palace Library Westminster Abbey. Alan Campbell Don KCVO DD, dean of Westminster 1946-1959. Wednesday, 1 June 1966, 12 noon H5199.D6C4
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