John King, Baron King of Wartnaby
Encyclopedia
John Leonard King, Baron King of Wartnaby (29 August 1917 - 12 July 2005) was a businessman famous for leading British Airways
from an inefficient, nationalised company to one of the most successful airlines of recent times. This success was a flagship of Margaret Thatcher's
privatisation programme.
, west London
, the son of a soldier-then-postman father (Albert) and seamstress mother (Kathleen) and was the second of four children.
The young John King was brought up in a small property attached to a public house in Dunsfold
, Surrey
. He left school in 1929 at the age of 12 without qualifications and started work in a local factory which produced vacuum cleaners, where his work included machining clamping stays, earning him the nickname “Clamping Stay King”. His first 'proper job' was with local businessman Arthur Sykes, as car salesman (with duties including re-possessing cars from people who had failed to make the necessary payments) before setting up his own taxi business and acquiring a Ford cars sub-agent and naming it Whitehouse Motors. When second World War
broke out, the motor business folded, but by then King had diversified into more general engineering work and so prospered from defence contracts and making parts for aircraft. He benefited hugely from War MInistry contracts and was able to use rare American machine tools that he gained under the Lend Lease programme.
After the war King moved to Canada for a time, before returning to England and building a brand new factory on wasteland in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire
to establish Ferrybridge Industries. After re-naming it the Pollard Ball and Roller Bearing Company and producing millions of ball bearings a year, it grew to become a major operation spanning several continents. After being forced to merge the business with another manufacturer, Ransomes & Marles, as part of a government reorganisation of the ball bearing business, King sold it for £10m in 1968, netting some £3m personally.
He became Chairman of Dennis Specialist Vehicles
in 1970, and Babcock International in 1972. Babcock was acquired by FKI Electricals for £415 million in August 1987. King, Babcock chairman since 1972, became chairman of the new combined company, called FKI Babcock. He was knight
ed in 1979, and appointed Chairman of the National Enterprise Board
in 1980 and, famously, taking over as head of British Airways.
as Baron King of Wartnaby, of Wartnaby in the County of Leicestershire
in 1983.
Lord King recognised the importance of Concorde
to British Airways. In its early years of service with BA, Concorde lost the carrier money and attracted criticism from the press as a white elephant. BA used Concorde to win business customers from transatlantic competitors by guaranteeing a certain number of Concorde upgrades in return for corporate accounts with the airline.
's Virgin Atlantic
. Virgin, which began with one route and one Boeing 747
in 1984 was beginning to emerge as a serious threat on some of BA's most lucrative routes. Following a highly publicised mercy mission to Iraq to fly home hostages who had been held by Saddam Hussein
in 1991, King is reported to have told Marshall and his PA
Director David Burnside
to "do something about Branson" ¹. This began the campaign of "dirty tricks" which ended in Branson suing King and British Airways for libel in 1992. King countersued Branson with the case scheduled for trial in 1993. However, it was settled out of court, with BA paying damages to Branson of £500,000 and a further £110,000 to his airline; further, BA paid legal fees of up to £3 million.
. His interests included directorships at the Daily Telegraph, Spectator
, headhunting company Norman Broadbent and engineering firm Short Brothers
. ² However, it can be said that until the end he remained passionate about his "ugly duckling that became the world's favourite airline."
, whom he met on the hunting field, in 1970. His first marriage to Lorna Sykes ended tragically with her death from cancer in 1969, which shattered King.
His second wife Isabel outlived King by a further five years, finally passing away at the age of 83 in January 2010, again of cancer. Touchingly, all three were laid to rest together (at King's request) in the church yard of St Michael and All Angels near Wartnaby, Leicestershire.
King fathered four children during hs marriage to Lorna Sykes - The Hon. Richard (born 1943), twins the Hon. Philip and Rupert (born 1950) and the Hon. Rachel (born 1945).
He and his first wife, Lorna, also both learnt to fly and they would use an aircraft to tour the UK and drum up business.
King kept a flat in London for many years, in Eaton Square
, and during his time running British Airways he lived there during the week full time. At weekends, he travelled north to his country estate, Friars Well Estate, near Melton Mowbray
in the county of Leicestershire
. He also had a house in Scotland, close to the River Naver, where he pursued his love of fly fishing.
He clearly enjoyed the company of royalty and the wealthy and the associated glamour it brought to him. He understood how to manipulate those around him and he was also a great motivator, though his personal management style could be brutal. Ultimately, it was his drive, fearlessness and understanding of people that made him and his businesses such a success over such a long period.
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
from an inefficient, nationalised company to one of the most successful airlines of recent times. This success was a flagship of Margaret Thatcher's
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
privatisation programme.
Early life and career
King was born in BrentfordBrentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of a soldier-then-postman father (Albert) and seamstress mother (Kathleen) and was the second of four children.
The young John King was brought up in a small property attached to a public house in Dunsfold
Dunsfold
Dunsfold is a village in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, 8.7 miles south of Guildford. The census area Chiddingfold and Dunsfold has a population of 3,812.-History:...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. He left school in 1929 at the age of 12 without qualifications and started work in a local factory which produced vacuum cleaners, where his work included machining clamping stays, earning him the nickname “Clamping Stay King”. His first 'proper job' was with local businessman Arthur Sykes, as car salesman (with duties including re-possessing cars from people who had failed to make the necessary payments) before setting up his own taxi business and acquiring a Ford cars sub-agent and naming it Whitehouse Motors. When second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out, the motor business folded, but by then King had diversified into more general engineering work and so prospered from defence contracts and making parts for aircraft. He benefited hugely from War MInistry contracts and was able to use rare American machine tools that he gained under the Lend Lease programme.
After the war King moved to Canada for a time, before returning to England and building a brand new factory on wasteland in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to establish Ferrybridge Industries. After re-naming it the Pollard Ball and Roller Bearing Company and producing millions of ball bearings a year, it grew to become a major operation spanning several continents. After being forced to merge the business with another manufacturer, Ransomes & Marles, as part of a government reorganisation of the ball bearing business, King sold it for £10m in 1968, netting some £3m personally.
He became Chairman of Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles is a major British coachbuilder and manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England...
in 1970, and Babcock International in 1972. Babcock was acquired by FKI Electricals for £415 million in August 1987. King, Babcock chairman since 1972, became chairman of the new combined company, called FKI Babcock. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1979, and appointed Chairman of the National Enterprise Board
National Enterprise Board
-History:The National Enterprise Board was set up in the United Kingdom in 1975 to implement the Wilson Labour government's objective of extending public ownership of industry...
in 1980 and, famously, taking over as head of British Airways.
British Airways
Dubbed "Mrs. Thatcher's favourite businessman" he was chosen to prepare the loss-making nationalised flag carrier for privatisation. King joined British Airways in 1981 when the airline was losing in excess of £140m a year. By 1989, the arline was making a pre-tax profit of £268m. Some of King’s major changes at the airline included removing 22,000 staff members, hiring Colin Marshall as CEO in 1983, removing older aircraft from the fleet, purchasing more modern and efficient airliners, and axing unprofitable routes. Within two years King had replaced over half of the BA board with his own appointees. When BA was privatised in 1987, the initial share offering was 11 times oversubscribed. His compensation as Chairman rose from about £250,000 in 1988 to £669,350 (including a £220,000 bonus) in 1991. King was made a life peerLife peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron King of Wartnaby, of Wartnaby in the County of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
in 1983.
Lord King recognised the importance of Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
to British Airways. In its early years of service with BA, Concorde lost the carrier money and attracted criticism from the press as a white elephant. BA used Concorde to win business customers from transatlantic competitors by guaranteeing a certain number of Concorde upgrades in return for corporate accounts with the airline.
Rivalry with Virgin Atlantic Airways
Around the same time British Airways was witnessing the emergence of a dangerous rival, Richard BransonRichard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....
's Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
. Virgin, which began with one route and one Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
in 1984 was beginning to emerge as a serious threat on some of BA's most lucrative routes. Following a highly publicised mercy mission to Iraq to fly home hostages who had been held by Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
in 1991, King is reported to have told Marshall and his PA
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
Director David Burnside
David Burnside
David Wilson Boyd Burnside is a Northern Ireland politician, and was Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament for South Antrim....
to "do something about Branson" ¹. This began the campaign of "dirty tricks" which ended in Branson suing King and British Airways for libel in 1992. King countersued Branson with the case scheduled for trial in 1993. However, it was settled out of court, with BA paying damages to Branson of £500,000 and a further £110,000 to his airline; further, BA paid legal fees of up to £3 million.
Later career
Lord King of Wartnaby stepped down from his role in 1993 but remained BA president emeritusEmeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
. His interests included directorships at the Daily Telegraph, Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, headhunting company Norman Broadbent and engineering firm Short Brothers
Short Brothers
Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
. ² However, it can be said that until the end he remained passionate about his "ugly duckling that became the world's favourite airline."
Marriage and children
King was married twice; first to Lorna Sykes (daughter of his first boss Arthur Sykes) in 1941 and then to the Hon Isabel Monkton, daughter of 8th Viscount GalwayViscount Galway
Viscount Galway is a title that has been created once in the Peerage of England and thrice in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1628 in favour of Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde. He was made Earl of St Albans at the same time...
, whom he met on the hunting field, in 1970. His first marriage to Lorna Sykes ended tragically with her death from cancer in 1969, which shattered King.
His second wife Isabel outlived King by a further five years, finally passing away at the age of 83 in January 2010, again of cancer. Touchingly, all three were laid to rest together (at King's request) in the church yard of St Michael and All Angels near Wartnaby, Leicestershire.
King fathered four children during hs marriage to Lorna Sykes - The Hon. Richard (born 1943), twins the Hon. Philip and Rupert (born 1950) and the Hon. Rachel (born 1945).
Personal Life
A keen huntsman from an early age, King held the rank of MFH (Master of Foxhounds) with the Belvoir and Badsworth hunts and was also Chairman of the Lord King XI cricket team.He and his first wife, Lorna, also both learnt to fly and they would use an aircraft to tour the UK and drum up business.
King kept a flat in London for many years, in Eaton Square
Eaton Square
Eaton Square is a residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is one of the three garden squares built by the Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia in the 19th century, and is named after Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor country house in Cheshire...
, and during his time running British Airways he lived there during the week full time. At weekends, he travelled north to his country estate, Friars Well Estate, near Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
in the county of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. He also had a house in Scotland, close to the River Naver, where he pursued his love of fly fishing.
Character
No-one who ever met King could seriously deny that he was a domineering, often gruff character, who revelled in self-promotion and was used to getting his way. His love of cigars and chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royces gave him the air of a classic self-made businessman, and any enquiries about his early life were met with a gruff response; "There are some things people don't need to know. I hate rags-to-riches stories and I hate being asked personal questions". There were certainly many reporters who soon regretted asking impertinent questions of King. Yet his outward prickliness hid a warm and generous character, with a good sense of humour and twinkle in his eye.He clearly enjoyed the company of royalty and the wealthy and the associated glamour it brought to him. He understood how to manipulate those around him and he was also a great motivator, though his personal management style could be brutal. Ultimately, it was his drive, fearlessness and understanding of people that made him and his businesses such a success over such a long period.
Sources
- Gregory, Martyn (2000) Dirty Tricks, British Airways' secret war against Virgin Atlantic (3rd Ed). Virgin Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7535-0458-8
- Guardian Unlimited:Ups and downs of Iron Lady's favourites
- New York Times report on death
- Guardian obituary