View source for James Alexander Richey

'''James Alexander Richey''' [[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]] (8 March 1874 &ndash; 24 October 1931) was a [[United Kingdom|British]] educational administrator in [[South Africa]] and [[India]].

The son of [[James Bellett Richey|Sir James Bellet Richey]], an administrator in [[Bombay Presidency|Bombay]], he was educated at [[Elstree School]], [[Rugby School]] and [[Balliol College, Oxford]], where he read [[Classics]]. His first post was as a lecturer at the [[Diocesan College]], [[Rondebosch]], [[Cape Colony]]. In 1902 he transferred to the [[Transvaal Colony|Transvaal]] Education Department.

In 1908 he was posted to the [[Indian Education Service]], where he remained for the rest of his career. He served as an Inspector of Schools and Assistant Director of Public Instruction in [[Eastern Bengal and Assam]], alongside [[Richard Ramsbotham]], until he was appointed Director of Public Instruction of the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North-West Frontier Province]] in 1911. In 1917 he was transferred to the same post in the [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]]. In 1920, he was appointed Educational Commissioner of the Government of India. In these posts he introduced many educational reforms designed to increase literacy among the Indian peasantry. He retired in 1929.

He was appointed [[Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire]] (CIE) in the 1920 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=31712 |date=30 December 1919 |page=5 |supp=y}}</ref>

Richey had suffered from ill-health since his youth and died at the age of 57 after an illness of a few months.

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Obituaries, ''[[The Times]]'', 28, 29 & 31 October 1931

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richey, James Alexander}}
[[Category:1874 births]]
[[Category:1931 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Elstree School]]
[[Category:People educated at Rugby School]]
[[Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Indian Education Service officers]]
[[Category:South African civil servants]]
[[Category:South African educators]]