Last updated November 2023Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders was another Economist and served as the former Head of the LSE. He is also described as a Sociologist and academic administrator. A building at LSE is named after him.
It is not surprising to see some connections between the LSE and the GA given their long-term hosting of the GA conferences, even into the 1970s.
He was born in Reigate in 1886 - the son of an underwriter - and was educated at Eton College. A few GA Presidents had that connection.
A British Academy biography describes the bullying he endured at Eton, which he described as "a convict ship"
He said he could learn nothing during term time, and left the school at 16, when he visited Paris and the Alps, and fell in love with the mountains there.
Perhaps this was the start of his love for Geography, along with mountaineering.
Carr-Saunders went to the University of Oxford, studing zoology initially.
He served in France and Egypt during the First World War as well - one of a generation of GA Presidents around the first half of the century to have experienced conflict and had their world view shaped by this.
On his return, he studied once again at Oxford, and during this time, he developed some ideas around Eugenics.
He was offered a Professorship in Social Science at the University of Liverpool, which allowed him to develop his thinking.
In 1943 he joined the Asquith Commission on Higher Education in the Colonies, and travelled widely during this time, having never previously travelled much at all.
He helped set up a lot of work in Colonial Universities through the next few decades and this is where his contribution to Geographical education began to flourish, and perhaps his potential as a GA President to unfold.
From his Wikipedia extract: shared under CC license
He participated in one of the first Oxford Expeditions to Spitsbergen in the Arctic in 1921 as main scientists, together with Julian Huxley.
During the expedition he distilled his early ideas on population dynamics and summarized them in a book called The Population Problem. The book used a neo-Malthusian argument plus Galton's eugenics as the theoretical framework for a quantitative analysis of population dynamics.
If anyone has further information on Carr-Saunders, please get in touch.
Updated January - August 2021
There are remarkably few early videos or audio of GA Presidents on YouTube since some very early ones you may remember.
Here's an extract from a radio programme where he described his strong faith in God.
Thanks to Brendan Conway for this additional information on a link to the modern day LSE.
It is not surprising to see some connections between the LSE and the GA given their long-term hosting of the GA conferences, even into the 1970s.
He was born in Reigate in 1886 - the son of an underwriter - and was educated at Eton College. A few GA Presidents had that connection.
A British Academy biography describes the bullying he endured at Eton, which he described as "a convict ship"
He said he could learn nothing during term time, and left the school at 16, when he visited Paris and the Alps, and fell in love with the mountains there.
Perhaps this was the start of his love for Geography, along with mountaineering.
Carr-Saunders went to the University of Oxford, studing zoology initially.
He served in France and Egypt during the First World War as well - one of a generation of GA Presidents around the first half of the century to have experienced conflict and had their world view shaped by this.
On his return, he studied once again at Oxford, and during this time, he developed some ideas around Eugenics.
He was offered a Professorship in Social Science at the University of Liverpool, which allowed him to develop his thinking.
In 1943 he joined the Asquith Commission on Higher Education in the Colonies, and travelled widely during this time, having never previously travelled much at all.
He helped set up a lot of work in Colonial Universities through the next few decades and this is where his contribution to Geographical education began to flourish, and perhaps his potential as a GA President to unfold.
From his Wikipedia extract: shared under CC license
He participated in one of the first Oxford Expeditions to Spitsbergen in the Arctic in 1921 as main scientists, together with Julian Huxley.
During the expedition he distilled his early ideas on population dynamics and summarized them in a book called The Population Problem. The book used a neo-Malthusian argument plus Galton's eugenics as the theoretical framework for a quantitative analysis of population dynamics.
The population problem arose - according to Carr-Saunders' demographic analysis - from the fact of having high reproductive rates among what were described as "primitive people with low mental and physical qualities". Over-population of these lower races endangered the standard of living of races bearing higher qualities. Unlike Malthus, he thought that industrial productivity and not food was the main limiting factor in human populations.
Some of the views were of course of their time. Hans Rosling may have had a few alternative thoughts.
In 1921, as mentioned above he went to Spitsbergen on an expedition - one of several GA Presidents to have visited this place - perhaps I need to plan a visit during my Presidency.
Is there a GA Branch in Longyearbyen?
Carr-Saunders served as Director of the LSE from 1937 to 1957.
His early publications used demographic data in a way that hadn't been done before.
He was knighted in 1946/7, around the time he served as GA President.
Some of the views were of course of their time. Hans Rosling may have had a few alternative thoughts.
In 1921, as mentioned above he went to Spitsbergen on an expedition - one of several GA Presidents to have visited this place - perhaps I need to plan a visit during my Presidency.
Is there a GA Branch in Longyearbyen?
Carr-Saunders served as Director of the LSE from 1937 to 1957.
His early publications used demographic data in a way that hadn't been done before.
He was knighted in 1946/7, around the time he served as GA President.
His Presidential lecture was on the theme of the teaching of Geography in Colonial Colleges, and started with him explaining how he was not a geographer - an unusual opening gambit for a President, although not unprecedented...
The address was published in 1948.
He founded the British Sociological Society in 1951.
This image from the LSE library was taken in Cumbria in 1964, to which Carr Saunders retired.
He is pictured with his wife Teresa in the middle, and Julian Huxley on the left.
He died in 1966 in Cumbria.
One obituary gives the actual circumstances which sound characteristic of him from what I have read...
He died on the night of 6 October 1966 after trying, at the age of eighty, to push his car uphill following a breakdown at Thirlmere in his beloved Lake District.
Here's a description of him from Professor Maurice Freedman:
Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/030639686700800306?journalCode=raca
His GA obituary was written by fellow and former GA President Michael Wise.
He received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Glasgow, Columbia, Natal, Dublin, Liverpool, Cambridge, Malaya, Grenoble and London, and was made honorary fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, the University College of East Africa, and LSE.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Carr-Saunders
I added reference to his GA Presidency to the Wikipedia page, as I have with all those who have Wikipedia pages.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Carr-Saunders - this describes him as a demographer ,and focusses on his work in the area of population - he also influenced Charles Elton, a biologist https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Elton#ref5660
Obituary: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00324728.1967.10409969?journalCode=rpst20
Presidential Address
Carr-Saunders, Alexander. “THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY IN COLONIAL COLLEGES: ADDRESS TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION.” Geography, vol. 33, no. 1, 1948, pp. 1–7. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562655.
Obituary: Wise, M. J. “Obituary: SIR ALEXANDER CARR-SAUNDERS.” Geography, vol. 52, no. 1, 1967, pp. 81–81. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40566219.
Carr-Saunders as one of the original 'sociologists': https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2008.00805.x?journalCode=sora
https://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100443150
Image: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw100157/Sir-Alexander-Morris-Carr-Saunders
Some further images of him: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp72409/sir-alexander-morris-carr-saunders
Images from Flickr library of LSE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/with/3926497416/
CC licensed.
Biography from the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/pubs/proc/files/53p379.pdf
His most famous book is still available to purchase from all good bookshops. It can also be accessed via the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/populationproblem00carr
The address was published in 1948.
He founded the British Sociological Society in 1951.
This image from the LSE library was taken in Cumbria in 1964, to which Carr Saunders retired.
He is pictured with his wife Teresa in the middle, and Julian Huxley on the left.
He died in 1966 in Cumbria.
One obituary gives the actual circumstances which sound characteristic of him from what I have read...
He died on the night of 6 October 1966 after trying, at the age of eighty, to push his car uphill following a breakdown at Thirlmere in his beloved Lake District.
Here's a description of him from Professor Maurice Freedman:
Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/030639686700800306?journalCode=raca
His GA obituary was written by fellow and former GA President Michael Wise.
He received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Glasgow, Columbia, Natal, Dublin, Liverpool, Cambridge, Malaya, Grenoble and London, and was made honorary fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, the University College of East Africa, and LSE.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Carr-Saunders
I added reference to his GA Presidency to the Wikipedia page, as I have with all those who have Wikipedia pages.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Carr-Saunders - this describes him as a demographer ,and focusses on his work in the area of population - he also influenced Charles Elton, a biologist https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Elton#ref5660
Obituary: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00324728.1967.10409969?journalCode=rpst20
Presidential Address
Carr-Saunders, Alexander. “THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY IN COLONIAL COLLEGES: ADDRESS TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION.” Geography, vol. 33, no. 1, 1948, pp. 1–7. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40562655.
Obituary: Wise, M. J. “Obituary: SIR ALEXANDER CARR-SAUNDERS.” Geography, vol. 52, no. 1, 1967, pp. 81–81. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40566219.
Carr-Saunders as one of the original 'sociologists': https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2008.00805.x?journalCode=sora
https://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100443150
Image: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw100157/Sir-Alexander-Morris-Carr-Saunders
Some further images of him: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp72409/sir-alexander-morris-carr-saunders
Images from Flickr library of LSE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/with/3926497416/
CC licensed.
Biography from the British Academy: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/pubs/proc/files/53p379.pdf
His most famous book is still available to purchase from all good bookshops. It can also be accessed via the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/populationproblem00carr
If anyone has further information on Carr-Saunders, please get in touch.
Updated January - August 2021
There are remarkably few early videos or audio of GA Presidents on YouTube since some very early ones you may remember.
Here's an extract from a radio programme where he described his strong faith in God.
Thanks to Brendan Conway for this additional information on a link to the modern day LSE.
One of the main @LSEnews halls of residence is named after him:— BC (@mildthing99) October 30, 2019
Carr-Saunders Hall https://t.co/6b5VCXwuf5
National Portrait Gallery:
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw88743/Sir-Alexander-Morris-Carr-Saunders
Carr-Saunders Hall - a dining space for 160 students
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsehistory/2017/09/05/carr-saunders-hall-living-in-bloomsbury/
Carr-Saunders served as Director of LSE from 1937-1957 and had arranged the School’s evacuation to Cambridge prior to the outbreak of war, ensuring that the School was in touch with its London base and could continue teaching across all of its subject areas.A mention in the Alpine Journal (PDF download)
On his personality:
The piece also outlines his impressive mountaineering achievements and plenty of anecdotes about his experiences, including ascents of Mont Blanc and lots of the nearby peaks.
I like this quote on how the scenery 'attracted and occupied his keen and sensitive mind'.
Updated August 2023
He contributed a chapter to this book, from the Wellcome collection, and stamped as being in the Eugenics Society library.
First published in 1935
Updated November 2023
On the opening of Carr Saunders Hall - with the menu that was served
He worked in Eugenics...
Details of his Galton Medal Award in 1946, from the Eugenics Society.
