(Henry) George Nelson, 2nd Baron Nelson of Stafford (2 January 1917 – 19 January 1995) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

who made a notable contribution to the development of civil nuclear power.

Background

George Nelson was born in

Stretford Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, sited on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal; the Bridgewater Canal bisects the town. The town is located south of Manchester, south of Salfo ...

, Manchester, as the only son of the electrical engineer George Nelson, later Baron Nelson, who, over 30 years, led

English Electric The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, made munitions, armaments and aeroplanes. It initially specialised in industrial el ...

from 4,000 to 80,000 employees. His mother, who came to be known as Jane, was born Florence Mabel Howe and was the only daughter of a Leicestershire JP. The younger Nelson was educated at

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire ...

and

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

, where he won an

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

and took his degree in the Mechanical Sciences

Tripos TRIPOS (''TRIvial Portable Operating System'') is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 a ...

. After two years of practical experience in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and the onset of

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

in 1939, he was appointed superintendent of English Electric's Preston works.

English Electric

When English Electric bought D Napier & Son in 1942, George Nelson was appointed Napier's managing director. He moved from Napier's in 1949 to become deputy managing director of English Electric and was appointed managing director in 1956 following his father. By the age of 40, he was on the main board of English Electric. He was appointed chairman on his father's death in 1962. In 1968, English Electric was taken over by GEC. Nelson was appointed chairman of GEC and held that appointment for 15 years until his retirement in 1983, though he remained a further four years on the GEC main board even after retirement as chairman.Obituary, Lord Nelson of Stafford. ''The Times'', Monday, 23 January 1995; pg. 21; Issue 65171

British Aircraft Corporation

He continued his association with military aviation begun at Preston in 1939. When English Electric merged aviation operations with

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

and

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

in 1960 he was appointed one of two deputies to the chairman, Lord Portal and remained deputy chairman until 1977.Anne Pimlott Baker, ‘Nelson, (Henry) George, second Baron Nelson of Stafford (1917–1995)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004

Nuclear power

Nelson moved English Electric into nuclear power generation as a part of the consortium Atomic Power Construction Company Ltd to build the

Sizewell Sizewell is an English fishing hamlet in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It belongs to the civil parish of Leiston and lies on the North Sea coast just north of the larger holiday village of Thorpeness, between the coastal tow ...

and

Hinkley Point Hinkley Point is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England, north of Bridgwater and west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett. Excavations in 2014 and 2015, carried out by Cotswold Archaeology and fun ...

nuclear power stations.

Outside interests

UK's first business and management schools

George Nelson led the campaign to raise funds for UK's first business and management schools, London and Manchester, and was particularly proud of his appointment as the first chancellor of

Aston University Aston University (abbreviated as ''Aston'' for post-nominals) is a public university situated in the city centre of Birmingham, England. Aston began as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School in 1895, evolving into the UK's first College of a ...

. in which position he served from 1966 until 1979. Nelson was a director of the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

for more than 25 years, 1961 to 1987. He was a member of the three engineering institutions — electrical, mechanical and civil — and served as president of the

Institution of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and information technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Tel ...

in 1970. He also served for many years on the Engineering & Allied Employers National Federation later the Engineering Employers' Federation. He served on many public bodies including the civil service selection board and the Advisory Council on Technology. Nelson died at Stafford 19 January 1995 survived by his wife who he had married on 8 Jun 1940, Pamela Roy Bird, the daughter of Ernest Roy Bird MP, of New House Farm, Robertsbridge, Sussex. They had two sons and two daughters. His elder son, the Hon Henry Roy George Nelson, inherited his title as 3rd Baron Nelson of Stafford.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson Of Stafford, Henry Nelson, 2nd Baron 1917 births 1995 deaths 2 People educated at Oundle School Businesspeople from Manchester Engineers from Manchester Alumni of King's College, Cambridge 20th-century British engineers 20th-century English businesspeople