Courtauld Courtauld-Thomson, 1st Baron Courtauld-Thomson
Encyclopedia
Courtauld Greenwood Courtauld-Thomson, 1st Baron Courtauld-Thomson CB
, KBE
(1865–1954), known as Courtauld Thomson until 1918 and as Sir Courtauld Thomson between 1918 and 1944, was a British businessman and holder of public and charitable offices.
, of Edinburgh
, inventor of the pneumatic tyre, and his wife Clara. After the death of his father in 1873, his mother married, in 1875, John Fletcher Moulton, later Lord Moulton. She died in 1888. He was educated at Eton
and Magdalen College, Oxford
.
and in 1918 a KBE
. His country seat was at Dorneywood
, Buckinghamshire
. In the Second World War he turned it into a hostel for officers in the allied air forces. In 1943, together with his two sisters (one of whom, Elspeth, was the widow of the writer Kenneth Grahame
) he presented it to the nation for use by a Minister of the Crown.
In 1944 he was raised to the peerage "for philanthropic and public services". Having changed his surname to Courtauld-Thomson, he took the title of Baron Courtauld-Thomson, of Dorneywood in the County of Buckingham.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1865–1954), known as Courtauld Thomson until 1918 and as Sir Courtauld Thomson between 1918 and 1944, was a British businessman and holder of public and charitable offices.
Background
Born Courtauld Thomson, he was the son of Robert William ThomsonRobert William Thomson
Robert William Thomson , from Stonehaven, Scotland, was the original inventor of the pneumatic tyre.-Biography:...
, of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, inventor of the pneumatic tyre, and his wife Clara. After the death of his father in 1873, his mother married, in 1875, John Fletcher Moulton, later Lord Moulton. She died in 1888. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
.
Career
Thomson had a successful business career, becoming chairman of the Employers' Liability Assurance Corporation, among other directorships. In 1914 he was appointed Commissioner for the Red Cross and Order of St John. In 1916 he was appointed a CBOrder of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
and in 1918 a KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. His country seat was at Dorneywood
Dorneywood
Dorneywood is a moderately large Queen Anne style house built in 1920, near Burnham in the South Bucks District of Buckinghamshire, England. It was given to the National Trust by Lord Courtauld-Thomson in 1947 as a country home for a senior member of the Government, usually a Secretary of State or...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. In the Second World War he turned it into a hostel for officers in the allied air forces. In 1943, together with his two sisters (one of whom, Elspeth, was the widow of the writer Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows , one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films....
) he presented it to the nation for use by a Minister of the Crown.
In 1944 he was raised to the peerage "for philanthropic and public services". Having changed his surname to Courtauld-Thomson, he took the title of Baron Courtauld-Thomson, of Dorneywood in the County of Buckingham.