Robert John Sinclair, 1st Baron Sinclair of Cleeve (29 July 1893 – 4 March 1979), was a British businessman and public servant. He was the son of Robert Henry Sinclair. He was a

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

wholesaler in

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

. This firm was acquired by the

Imperial Tobacco Company Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mo ...

in 1930, of which company Sinclair was later chairman from 1947 to 1959 and president. He was also Chairman of the Finance Corporation for Industry and of the Bristol Waterworks Company. During 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 ...

, Sinclair served as Director-General of Army Requirements at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

from 1939 to 1942 and as Chief Executive at the

Ministry of Production The Ministry of Production was a British government department created in February 1942, initially under the title Ministry of War Production, but the following month "War" was dropped from the title. Its purpose was to fill a gap in the machinery ...

from 1943 to 1945. After the war he was President of the

Federation of British Industries The Federation of British Industries (FBI) was an employers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by the Midlands industrialist Dudley Docker in 1916 as the United British Industries' Association, but renamed later that same year, it was ini ...

from 1949 to 1951, a Member of the Security Commission from 1966 to 1977, and Pro-Chancellor of

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

from 1946 to 1970. He also held the honorary post of high sheriff of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. In 1957 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sinclair of Cleeve, of Cleeve in the County of Somerset. Lord Sinclair of Cleeve died in March 1979, aged 85, and was succeeded in the barony by his son John.

Arms

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair of Cleeve, Robert Sinclair, 1st Baron 1893 births 1979 deaths Knights Bachelor Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II