Ian St John Lawson Johnston, 2nd Baron Luke,
KCVO,
TD,
DL,
JP, (7 June 1905 – 25 May 1996) was a
British Peer
The peerages in the United Kingdom are a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various noble ranks, and forming a constituent part of the British honours system. The term ''peerage'' can be used both collec ...
, businessman and philanthropist.
Early life and education
Johnston was the eldest son of George Lawson Johnston, 1st Baron Luke and his wife Edith Laura St John. He was educated at
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England.
Eton may also refer to:
Places
*Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England
* Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States
* Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
, and
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
and travelled in Australia and South America studying the beef industry.
Career
He followed his father in business, being Chairman of
Bovril
Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick and salty meat extract paste similar to a yeast extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive bulbous jar, and as cubes and granules. Bovril is owned and distribut ...
Ltd and the Argentine Estates of Bovril, Virol Ltd and Electrolux Ltd. He was also a Director of Ashanti Goldfields Corporation Ltd, Lloyds Bank Ltd, National Provincial Institution, Australian Mercantile Land and Finance Co Ltd and other Companies. During his time as director and chairman, Bovril expanded successfully and took over
Marmite
Marmite ( ) is a British savoury food spread based on yeast extract, invented by the German scientist Justus von Liebig. It is made from by-products of beer brewing ( lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vegan ...
. After Luke's retirement, the company was sold to Cavenham, owned by
James Goldsmith
Sir James Michael Goldsmith (26 February 1933 – 18 July 1997) was a French-British financier, tycoon''Billionaire: The Life and Times of Sir James Goldsmith'' by Ivan Fallon and politician who was a member of the Goldsmith family.
His contr ...
. Lord Luke was President of the London Chamber of Commerce from 1952 to 1955, and president of the Advertising Association from 1955 to 1958.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Johnston served as Lieutenant Colonel of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. On the death of his father in 1943, he became 2nd Lord Luke. He was Chairman of Bedfordshire TAA in 1943, on the Duke of Gloucester's Red Cross and St John's Fund from 1943 to 1946 and on the London Hospitals Central Committee from 1943 to 1945. From 1949 to 1952, Lord Luke served as the first president of the National Association of Leagues of Hospital Friends (renamed Attend since 2006), supporting volunteers in health and social care. From 1947 to 1952 he was a member of the Advisory Council of the
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, and from 1947 to 1956 on the Moorfields Westminster and Central Eye Hospital Committee. He became a member of the
from 1963 to 1982 becoming a Fellow in 1980.
He was active in local affairs becoming DL in 1938, and JP in 1939, on
from 1943 to 1952, Chairman of the Standing Joint Committee for Bedfordshire as well as High Sheriff. He was appointed KCVO in 1976.
He was interested in all forms of sport apart from being Master of the Oakley Hunt. He was Chairman of the Area Committee for National Fitness, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire from 1937 to 1939 and later Chairman of the
. In 1951 he joined the
, and remained until 1988, being instrumental in bringing the Games up to date, without sacrificing the event's underlying spirit. He was the
(then the National Association of Leagues of Hospital Friends) and was very influential in helping develop Attend in its early beginnings. He was the President of the organisation from 1949–1952.
In 1932 he married Barbara Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, younger daughter of Sir FitzRoy Hamilton Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe and had four sons and a daughter.