Edwin Plowden, Baron Plowden
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Edwin Noel Auguste Plowden, Baron Plowden, GBE, KCB (6 January 1907 – 15 February 2001) was a British industrialist and public servant in the
Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...
.


Background and career

Plowden was born in
Strachur Strachur () and Strathlachlan () are united parishes in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Strachur is a small village on the eastern coast of Loch Fyne. Geography Cowal is the large peninsula situated between Loch Long to the east and Loch Fyne ...
,
Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area ...
, the second child of Roger Plowden, a banker and landed proprietor, and his American second wife Helen. The Plowdens were, according to Peter Jay, a long-established Roman Catholic family, originally established in
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
about 1200. The young Edwin was educated abroad, at the progressive Le Rosey school in Switzerland and at
Hamburg University The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen''), the Hamburg Colon ...
, before returning to Britain in 1926 to read economics at
Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...
, where he received an "indifferent degree". Having the great misfortune to graduate from university at the beginning of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, Plowden spent many years unsuccessfully trying to find gainful employment, taking up odd jobs as "a farm labourer, for some months as a ‘general handyman’ in a hospital in
Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
, and as a shop-floor worker and then a travelling salesman for
Standard Telephones and Cables Standard Telephones and Cables Ltd (later STC public limited company, plc) was a British manufacturer of telephone, telegraph, radio, telecommunications, and related equipment. During its history, STC invented and developed several groundbreakin ...
." At last, before the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Plowden secured a better job in the City when he joined C. Tennant Sons & Co, commodity dealers. As he spoke French and German and knew the European mainland well, he was put in charge of selling Palestine
potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.
, in competition with the European potash cartel; he did so to such effect that his firm, as it had hoped, was invited to join the cartel. During the war, he served in the
Ministry of Economic Warfare The Minister of Economic Warfare was a British government position which existed during the Second World War. The minister was in charge of the Special Operations Executive and the Ministry of Economic Warfare. Ministers of Economic Warfare, 1939 ...
, and later joined the
Ministry of Aircraft Production Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...
, in which he remained until 1946. During 1945–46 he was chief executive in succession to Air Chief Marshal Sir
Wilfrid Freeman Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Rhodes Freeman, 1st Baronet, (18 July 1888 – 15 May 1953) was one of the most important influences on the rearmament of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the years up to and including the Second World War. He was par ...
. He returned after the War to the private sector, but then was appointed Chief Planning Officer to the Cabinet Office in March 1947. The group was called the Central Economic Planning Staff and Plowden headed it for over six years. In 1954 Plowden became the first chairman of the
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). T ...
(UKAEA).


Korean War

"I was at this stage put in charge of a working party set up to formulate an official reply to the Americans and, over the next year or so, was to be responsible for the general economic supervision of the rearmament programme."


Conservative Government

Rab Butler Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden (9 December 1902 – 8 March 1982), also known as R. A. Butler and familiarly known from his initials as Rab, was a prominent British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politici ...
, Chancellor of the Exchequer (1951–55), inherited Plowden after the Conservatives took power in 1951. He commented, "But I depended on Edwin Plowden, as head of the economic planning staff, to interpret and give practical edge to the advice generated by the less voluble and extrovert Hall (
Robert Hall, Baron Roberthall Robert Lowe Hall, Baron Roberthall (6 March 1901 – 17 September 1988) was an Australian-born economist who served as chief economic advisor to the British government from 1947 to 1961. Life Robert Hall was born in Tenterfield, New South Wale ...
), to act as ''vulgarisateur'' or publicist for his ideas. Plowden was to be my faithful watchdog in chief, and his departure for industry in 1953 undoubtedly weakened my position and that of the British economy".


Personal life

His wife,
Bridget Bridget is an Irish language, Irish female name derived from the Goidelic languages, Gaelic noun , meaning "power, strength, vigor, virtue". An alternative meaning of the name is "exalted one". Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is largely re ...
(née Bridget Horatia Richmond; 1910–2000), chaired the group which authored and published the 1967
Plowden Report The Plowden Report is the unofficial name for the 1967 report of the Central Advisory Council For Education (England) into primary education in England. The report, entitled ''Children and their Primary Schools'', reviewed primary education in ...
on primary education. She was created a
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(DBE).


Death

Lord Plowden died of
hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...
in 2001, aged 94, one year after his wife's death. He predeceased his two sons and one daughter while another daughter predeceased both Sir Edwin and Dame Bridget Plowden.


Arms

Plowden was appointed a
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(KBE) in the
1946 Birthday Honours The 1946 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 13 June 1946 for the United Kingdom and British Empire. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new ...
, a
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
(KCB) in the
1951 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1951 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those count ...
and was promoted to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the
1987 Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in sup ...
. He was created a
life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
with the title Baron Plowden, of
Plowden Plowden may refer to: *Plowden, Shropshire, village in Shropshire, England People with the surname Plowden * Alfred Chichele Plowden (1844–1914), English barrister and court magistrate * Alison Plowden (1931–2007), English historian and biogra ...
in the county of
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
on 17 February 1959.


References


External links


The Papers of Lord Plowden
held at
Churchill Archives Centre The Churchill Archives Centre (CAC) at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge is one of the largest repositories in the United Kingdom for the preservation and study of modern personal papers. It is best known for housing the papers ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plowden, Edwin Plowden, Baron 1907 births 2001 deaths Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Crossbench life peers People from Argyll and Bute Place of birth missing Place of death missing Life peers created by Elizabeth II Alumni of Institut Le Rosey