Richard Betenson Dean (born Richard Betenson Brietzcke; 29 December 1772 − 1 July 1850) was a British civil servant. Dean's family had a history of work in the civil service. His Polish grandfather settled in England and became a confidant to the Duke of Grafton, while Dean's father worked in the Secretary of State's office for most of his life. Following an education at Oxford University, he was called to the bar in 1808, but became a customs commissioner two years later. He served as chairman of the English Board of Customs from 1819; when that Board was merged with its Scottish equivalent in 1823, he took over as chairman of the new Customs Board for the United Kingdom. Despite complements on his work, elements of the press and Parliament became critical of the commissioners' competence in the 1840s. Dean defended their work, but pressure mounted, likely prompting his retirement in 1846; he died at his London residence four years later.
Richard Betenson Brietzcke was born on 29 December 1772, one of four children of Charles Brietzcke (1738–1795), of London, and his wife Catherine (d. 1830), daughter of Richard Ware (d. 1756), a bookseller of Ludgate.[1] [2] Charles was employed in the Secretary of State's office for most of his life, entering the service in 1756 and rising to become Under Secretary;[3] his diary has since been transcribed by Elma Hailey and published in the journal Notes and Queries.[4] Charles' father was Daniel Brietzcke, who came to England from Poland and became a civil servant and confidant to Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton; Daniel's wife, and Brietzcke's grandmother, was Elizabeth Deane, who was Under Housekeeper at Somerset House.[4]
Richard Brietzcke was educated at Charterhouse School from 1784 to 1790 and then admitted to Christ Church, Oxford, matriculating in 1790 and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1794, before proceeding to a Master of Arts degree in 1796. After commencing his studies at Oxford, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1792 and was called to the Bar in 1808.[1] He adopted Dean as his surname in 1801.[1]
Dean was appointed a Commissioner of Customs for England and Wales in 1810, after Sir Alexander Munro's post on the Board was vacated.[5] At that time, William Roe was Chairman of the Customs Board, and he was joined in 1813 by Francis Fownes Luttrell; both men retired in 1819 and Dean became chairman, with Snowdon Barne as his Deputy. During his long tenure as chairman, he was called to answer questions by Parliamentary Select Committees on a number of occasions.[6] [7]
As chairman, Dean has been described as "a remarkable man, extremely clever and industrious, yet eccentric".[8] Nevertheless, the Committee of Inquiry became increasingly critical of the Board and its management during the early 1840s; finding that, of the nine members of the Board, none, except Dean and his deputy, "had done any work worthy the name".[9] In turn, Dean protested to the Committee that their scrutiny of the board should cease; while acknowledging that appointments to it were not meritocratic, he nonetheless defended the men as "gentlemen—men of education".[10] In 1843, The Times published two articles which heavily criticised the Board and its practices; accusing them of "partiality and vindictiveness", the writer also stated that "with the exception of the chairman and vice-chairman, the Commissioners know as much of the affairs passing through their own departments as their own washerwomen."[11] The Board came to understand that the writer was known to the Committee of Inquiry, prompting Dean and his commissioners to protest over what they claimed amounted to libel; however, the Inquiry pressed ahead. In the criticism which followed, several members "retired"; Dean too retired in 1846, and it is possible that he was prompted to leave under these circumstances.[12] [13] He was succeeded by Sir Thomas Fremantle in June 1846.[14]
In 1806, he married Sobieskie Owen, fourth daughter of William Mostyn Owen of Woodhouse, Shropshire, and his wife Rebecca Dod, a daughter of Thomas Dod of Edge, Cheshire,[1] and had issue:
Dean lived in Albemarle Street, Middlesex, where he died, on 1 July 1850. His widow, Sobieskie Dean, died, aged 81, on 24 November 1858 and was buried in the parish of St. Marylebone.[24]