William George Leonard Hall, 2nd Viscount Hall (9 March 1913 – 24 July 1985), was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
surgeon and businessman who was the first chairman of the
Post Office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
.
He was the son of
George Hall George Hall may refer to:
People
The arts
* George Hall (actor) (1916–2002), Canadian-American actor
* George Hall (musician) (c. 1893 – c. 1989), American bandleader
* George Hall (cartoonist) (born 1960), Australian comic book writer and ...
, a mineworker who became a
Labour Party member of parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
and cabinet minister.
Hall won a scholarship to
Christ College, Brecon
Christ College, Brecon, is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school, located in the cathedral and market town of Brecon in mid-Wales. It currently caters for pupils aged 7–18 years.
History
Christ College was founded by Roya ...
,
but left school to become a miner at the age of 15. He subsequently joined the
Merchant Navy.
He soon re-entered education, receiving medical training at
University College Hospital
University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College London ...
and becoming a
Member of the Royal College of Surgeons
Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (MRCS) is a postgraduate diploma for surgeons in the UK and Ireland. Obtaining this qualification allows a doctor to become a member of one of the four surgical colleges ...
and
Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
.
In 1938 he was appointed assistant medical officer for
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
. He gave up the post in 1940, 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 ...
, becoming a Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander in 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 ...
.
In 1946 he returned to civilian life, as a medical officer for the
Powell Duffryn Group, a South Wales-based operator of coalmines (until 1947) and seaports. He quickly moved from a medical position to become a director. He later held a post as director of investments for Africa, Asia and the Middle East for the
International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. The IFC is a member of t ...
.
His father was created
Viscount Hall of
Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash is in the south of t ...
in 1946, and he inherited the title in 1965.
In 1969 he was appointed the first chairman of the
Post Office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
, a new statutory corporation that took over the duties of the
General Post Office
The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...
.
His tenure was to be short, however. He had been appointed by
John Stonehouse
John Thomson Stonehouse (28 July 192514 April 1988) was a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician and cabinet minister under Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Stonehouse is remembered for his unsuccessful attempt at faking his own death in ...
,
Post-Master General in the Labour Party government of
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
. When the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
won the
1970 general election,
Christopher Chataway
Sir Christopher John Chataway (31 January 1931 – 19 January 2014) was a British middle- and long-distance runner, television news broadcaster, and Conservative politician.
Education
He was born in Chelsea, London, the son of James Denys ...
, the new Minister for Posts and Telecommunications, dismissed him from his post. The decision was controversial, with a number of sympathy strikes by postal unions causing disruption to postal services.
Hall re-entered private business as a director in a number of companies and was also an active member of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
.
He married three times: to Joan Margaret Griffiths (died 1962) in 1938, to Constance Anne Garthorne Hardy (died 1972) in 1963, and to Marie-Colette Bach in 1975. He had no male heirs, and the title became extinct on his death.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, William, 2nd Viscount
1913 births
1985 deaths
Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Chairmen of Post Office Limited
World Bank Group people