Maurice Arthur Pryor (23 June 1911 – 20 December 1969) was an English

brewing Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...

executive who served as President of the

Institute of Brewing The Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) is an industry trade association for brewers and distillers, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. The IBD had its headquarters at Clarges Street in London London until 2014 at which t ...

Life

Maurice Arthur Pryor was born on 23 June 1911, the son of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

John Arthur Pryor. In 1935, he married Veronica Beatrice (died 1992), daughter of Major Aynsley Eyre Greenwell and Beatrice Lilian ''née'' Sanderson, and had one son and three daughters."Pryor, Maurice Arthur"
''Who Was Who'' (online edition), Oxford University Press, April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2016. Mosley, Charles (2003), ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage'', 107th ed., (Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage and Gentry), vol. 2, p. 1655 Following schooling at

Stowe Stowe may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Stowe, Buckinghamshire, a civil parish and former village **Stowe House **Stowe School * Stowe, Cornwall, in Kilkhampton parish * Stowe, Herefordshire, in the List of places in Herefordshire * Stowe, Linc ...

, he joined Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co. as a Director in 1934, a brewery which had merged with the Pryor family brewery in 1816 and where his father was on the Board.L. J. T.(1970)
"Obituary: Maurice Arthur Pryor"
''Journal of the Institute of Brewing'', vol. 76, issue 1, p. 13 (subscription required). Retrieved 27 April 2016. His career was interrupted by the

Second World War 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 ...

, when he joined the

Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

. He became a

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in 1940, serving in Light Coastal forces. After he was demobilised, he returned to his old brewery as a member of the Board; in 1964 he succeeded his father (who had been in the post for 19 years) as Chairman. Alongside that post, he was chairman of Daniell & Sons Breweries, Ltd., Haven Inns Ltd., Russell’s Gravesend Brewery Ltd. and The Writtle Brewery Co. Ltd., alongside other directorships. Pryor took an active interest in the

, of which he was a member for 28 years; he was on the Research Board and the Research Policy Committee, and served as President between 1958 and 1960. He was also Chairman of the

Brewers' Society The British Beer and Pub Association is the drinks and hospitality industry's largest and most influential trade association representing some 90% of UK brewing (by volume) and the ownership of around 20,000 of the nation's pubs. History The As ...

between 1962–64 and Master of the

Brewers' Company The Worshipful Company of Brewers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. London brewers are known to have organised as a group in the 13th century. Their first royal charter was granted by Henry VI in 1438. In 1643, Parliamen ...

in 1962; he therefore held the rare distinction of chairing the three leading professional organisations for the brewing industry. In his private life, Pryor enjoyed sailing. Professionally, he encouraged information exchange through the

European Brewery Convention The European Brewery Convention (EBC) is an organisation representing the technical and scientific interests of the brewing sector in Europe. The EBC defines itself as the scientific and technological arm of The Brewers of Europe. Among brewers, ...

and, according to an obituary in the IOB's journal, he possessed a "very wide knowledge of all aspects of the industry and ... shrewd judgement." He died, suddenly at his home, on 21 December 1969.

Likenesses

''Maurice Arthur Pryor''
by Rex Coleman, for Baron Studios (5 x 4 inch film negative), 25 November 1963.

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

(Photographs Collection, NPG x191766. Given by

Godfrey Argent Bernard Godfrey Argent (6 February 1937 – 1 June 2006) was an English photographer notable for his black and white portraits of royalty, politicians, aristocrats and celebrities. Early life Argent was born in Eastbourne, Sussex, the son of mot ...

, 1999).

References

1911 births 1969 deaths English brewers Masters of the Worshipful Company of Brewers 20th-century English businesspeople {{Beer-stub