Frederick Arthur Whitaker

Sir Frederick Arthur Whitaker (17 July 1893 – 13 June 1968) was a British civil engineer. Although born in the Colony of Natal, he was educated in Liverpool and received a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Liverpool. Whitaker joined the Civil Engineer in Chief's Department of the Admiralty at the age of 22 and spent much of the rest of his career there. His earlier work included Royal Navy bases in the United Kingdom, Jamaica, Malta and Singapore during the First World War and Interwar period. In 1934 he became Deputy Civil Engineer-In-Chief to the Admiralty, being promoted to Civil Engineer-In-Chief in 1940. Whitaker held that position for 14 years, which included most of the Second World War, and during that time was ultimately responsible for all of the Admiralty's civil engineering projects. He retired from the Admiralty in 1954, becoming a partner for an engineering consultancy.

Whitaker was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1941, and became a Knight Commander in 1945. He was also appointed a Commander in the Legion of Honour by the French government in 1947. He was an active member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, which he had joined in 1919, and held various offices for them. He was elected president of the institution at a Special General Meeting in February 1957, following the death of the previous president, Harold Gourley. Whitaker sat on various committees of organisations related to his area of expertise, including the Dover Harbour Board and Suez Canal Company. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Liverpool in 1960.

Early life Whitaker was born on 17 July 1893 in Ladysmith, Natal Colony in modern-day South Africa but received his education mainly in Liverpool in the United Kingdom. He attended Liverpool Institute High School for Boys and studied engineering at the University of Liverpool where he received a first class honours Bachelor of Science degree in 1914 and a Master of Engineering degree in 1917. In 1926 he was posted to the Royal Navy dockyard in Malta where he was involved in the construction of a wave trap in the harbour and underground ammunition dumps as well as the maintenance of various breakwaters. On 1 January 1945 he was promoted to the rank of Knight Commander in that Order, which entitled him to use the prefix "Sir". Whitaker was also rewarded by the French government for his work during the war, being appointed a Commander in the Legion of Honour in 1947. He retired from the company in 1962 but continued to work for them as a consultant. Gourley was the first regularly elected president to die in office (Thomas Telford, who was elected president for life, had previously died in office) and the ICE council, who were authorised to fill any vacancy except that of President, were forced to call a Special General Meeting of members.

In 1960 the University of Liverpool awarded Whitaker an honorary doctorate in engineering. Whitaker was married and had a son and two daughters. He died on 13 June 1968.