Sir Douglas Alexander Earsman Harkness was born on 12 September 1902 to George Wightman Harkness and Jane Earsman Harkness. He first matriculated at the University of Glasgow , Scotland, in 1919 where he studied French, History and Political Economy. He graduated with an MA in 1922 gaining a 2nd Class Honours in History in that year and 1st Class Honours in Economic Science in 1923. From 1923-1924 he was a Reid Stewart Fellow in Economic Science at the University of Glasgow.
In 1924 he was given his first appointment in the Civil Service in Northern Ireland in which he was to serve until his retirement in 1963 . His first appointment was with the Stormont Ministry of Agriculture and during this period (1926) he was also appointed to the Lectureship in Agricultural Economics at the Queen's University of Belfast. He was promoted Assistant Secretary of the Ministry in 1936 and became Permanent Secretary in 1948. He transferred to the Ministry of Commerce and subsequently to the Ministry of Finance becoming Permanent Secretary and head of the Civil Service of Northern Ireland in 1953. He was awarded the CBE in 1946 a KBE in 1956 and an honorary LLD in 1962. Sir Douglas Harkness died on 28 December 1980 .
From the guide to the Papers of Sir Douglas Alexander Earsman Harkness, 1902-1980, arts graduate, University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1919-1950, (Glasgow University Archive Services)
