Civil servant and conservationist. Born in Broxburn (West Lothian), the son of a teacher, Hume read history at the University of Edinburgh and entered the civil service in 1936. He rose to the highest echelons of public service, his positions including Under-Secretary in the Scottish Home Department (1957-59), Assistant Under-Secretary of State in the Scottish Office (1959-62) and Secretary of the Scottish Development Department (1965-73).
On his retirement in 1973, he was knighted and went on to serve as Chairman of the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland (1973-81) and Chairman of the Edinburgh New Town Conservation Committee (1975-90). In this latter role, he was responsible for rescuing the New Town, now a World Heritage Site, from certain decay and possible destruction.
He died in Edinburgh.