James Brabazon Grimston, 5th Earl of Verulam (11 October 1910 – 13 October 1960) was a British peer and businessman.

Early life and education

Verulam was the eldest son of James Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam, and Lady Violet Brabazon, younger daughter of the 12th Earl of Meath. He was educated at Eton and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

. He succeeded to the earldom upon the death of his father in 1949.

Brynmawr

At the age of 19, whilst studying at Oxford, Verulam first went to

Brynmawr ; ; ; ) is a market town, community (Wales), community and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in Blaenau Gwent, Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at above sea level at ...

, Wales on an international work camp. Brynmawr had suffered from high unemployment due to the closure of local coal mines in the 1920s and a Quaker initiative known as the

Brynmawr Experiment The Brynmawr Experiment was an effort led by Peter Scott (social entrepreneur), Peter Scott to address issues of poverty and unemployment in Brynmawr, South Wales, between 1929 and 1939. Initially a relief project response of the Britain Yearly Meet ...

had been set up to help find unemployed local people a livelihood. In 1934,

Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservation movement, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and Sportsperson, sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Fal ...

, previously the instigator of the Quaker work in Brynmawr, decided to set up a Subsistence Production Society (SPS) in the area, and Verulam was appointed as the Area Organiser, where he was known as ''Jim Forrester'', the surname being derived from his family courtesy title Lord Forrester. The SPS consisted of farms, a bakery and other facilities where members could obtain food and products they wanted in return for work. In 1939, due to preparations for war providing work for local unemployed people, the SPS collapsed. After the end of 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 ...

, Verulam continued to try to work in Brynmawr by establishing a model rubber factory.

Career

Verulam's first job was in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

after which he was

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Enfield Zinc Products. In 1949 he became

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of Enfield Rolling Mills.Companies in the UK
/ref> He was mayor of St Albans in 1956; and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Cremation Society from 1955 to 1958. He was also a

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of the

District Bank The Manchester and Liverpool District Bank was formed in 1829 and it became one of the leading provincial joint stock banks; its name was shortened to District Bank in 1924. The Bank was acquired by the National Provincial Bank in 1962 but kept ...

and sat on various committees concerned with health, welfare and disability.

Death

Verulam died in October 1960 at the age of 50. He was unmarried and was succeeded in the earldom and other titles by his younger brother,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

References

1910 births 1960 deaths 5 James 20th-century British businesspeople People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Mayors of St Albans {{UK-earl-stub