John Woolfenden Williamson (1869–1950) was a British writer about industrial networks in the first half of the 20th century.
Williamson was unable to complete a medical degree at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
due to financial difficulties and became a teacher.
He later obtained a B.Sc. degree from the
Royal College of Science
The Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Still to this day, graduates from t ...
, and was called to the bar as a member of
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
in 1922.
[The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1929] He wrote a number of papers on the interrelationship between law and science.
In 1920 he married the research botanist Helen Lee (née Chambers), who died in 1934.
[
From 1919 until his retirement in 1936 he was first secretary to the Scientific Instruments Research Association.][ He also sat on the governing board of the ]Imperial College of Science and Technology
Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural district in South Kensington that included museums, ...
.
In 1929 he contested the general election as Liberal Party candidate for Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...
, coming third polling 18%.Anglo-Persian Oil Company
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC; ) was a British company founded in 1909 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Persia (Iran). The British government purchased 51% of the company in 1914, gaining a controlling numbe ...
, invited him to visit the Abadan Refinery
The Abadan refinery ( ''Pālāyeshgāh-e Ābādān'') is an oil refinery in Abadan, Iran near the coast of the Persian Gulf.
History
Built by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later BP) on the basis of a lease obtained in 1909, it was completed in ...
to study the industrial development underway there. The resulting book led to an invitation from Lord Stamp to study the workings of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with London and North Eastern Railway, LNER, Great Western Railway, GWR and Southern Railway (UK), SR. The London, Midland an ...
, which provided the basis for a further book.
Books
* ''In a Persian Oil Field: A Study in Scientific and Industrial Development'' ( E. Benn, 1927; 2nd edition 1930)[Reviewed in ''Nature'', 126 (15 November 1930), pp. 755–756.]
* ''A British Railway Behind the Scenes: A Study in the Science of Industry'' (E. Benn, 1933)
* ''Railways To-day'' (Oxford University Press, 1946)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, John Woolfenden
1869 births
1950 deaths
Alumni of the Royal College of Science
British science writers
People associated with Imperial College London