Alexander King was born in Scotland in 1909. He received a degree in chemistry at the Royal College of Science in Ireland, carried out postgraduate research at the University of Munich and was then appointed a lecturer in physical chemistry at Imperial College of Science and Technology in London.
During the World War II, King was appointed the assistant director of scientific research at the United Kingdom's Ministry of Supply. He then became the head of the United Kingdom's Central Scientific Secretariat and secretary of the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy. In 1957, King took on the position of Director of the European Productivity Agency which was part of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation. In 1961, the organisation became the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and King became its Director and later its Director-General.
King became a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1948. In 1968, he co-founded the Club of Rome, a think-tank concerned with global issues and the future of humanity.
King delivered the Beatty Lecture on April 8, 1976, titled "A New Economic Order: Is it Necessary or Feasible?".
Listen to Alexander King's Beatty Lecture:
Audio: McGill University Archives
Image: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Archives
