Arthur Cecil Cockburn
Arthur Cecil Cockburn (1859-1929)
He was a consultant engineer and electrical surveyor for the Norwich Union, where he drew up one of the first set of electrical installation rules for any insurance company.
1929 Obituary [1]
ARTHUR CECIL COCKBURN, who died on the 25th July, 1929, was born in 1859 and was descended on his father's side from the Scottish chieftain Cock of Burnhill, and on his mother's side from the Wallace of Scotland.
He was educated at Harrow School and afterwards qualified as an architect.
He then joined the staff of Harrow School as a teacher in science, and later served for 10 years as electrical and physical demonstrator at the Finsbury Technical College under the late Professors Ayrton and Silvanus Thompson.
He then took up practical electrical work and acted as manager to the Acme Electrical Works and to Messrs. D. Hulett and Co., of Holborn.
Ultimately he commenced practice as a consulting engineer and, in that capacity, acted for many years for the Norwich Union Fire Office, drawing up a set of Wiring Rules for that company.
He was well known as a consulting electrical engineer and was responsible for a considerable amount of work in London and the provinces. He also founded the Electrical and Insurance Surveyors' Society. At the time when the Fire Offices were considering the advisability of officially adopting the I.E.E. Wiring Rules he was invited by the Council to serve on the Wiring Rules Committee and rendered signal services to the Fire Offices and that Committee.
He was elected an Associate of the Institution in 1880 and a Member in 1888, and was awarded the Paris Electrical Exhibition Premium for a paper on "Fuses" read before the Institution in December 1887.
He was the inventor of a patent fuse and lock-switch which had a considerable vogue at that time.
He took considerable interest in public affairs, having been vice-chairman, guardian and overseer to the Willesden Council, and a county councillor for Middlesex.
He left a widow and one son.