Sir Albert Edward MacColl (1882-1951)
1951 Obituary [1]
Sir Edward MacColl
THE engineering profession will have learned with deep regret of the death of Sir Albert Edward MacColl, which occurred in Edinburgh, following a heart attack, on June 15th. He was the Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board; an office which he had filled with distinction since the formation of the Board eight years ago.
Sir Edward was born in Dumbarton in 1882 and was educated at Dumbarton Academy, the Royal Technical College, Glasgow, and Glasgow University. His practical experience in electrical engineering was gained in the Clydebank shipyard of, John Brown and Co., Ltd., where he served for five years. For some time thereafter, Sir Edward was engaged on the development of Glasgow's municipal tramway system and, then, in 1920, he took up an appointment as executive engineer and assistant to the general manager of the Clyde Valley Electrical Power Company. Seven years later, on the formation of the Central Electricity Board, Sir Edward became the first regional manager and was responsible for the grid undertakings in Scotland. The planning and development of hydro-electric works in the North of Scotland led to the constitution of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. Sir Edward, as Chief Executive Officer, successfully supervised the design and construction of the Board's various schemes, many of which have been described in our columns.
Sir Edward, whose knighthood was conferred in the Birthday Honours of 1949, had been a member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers since 1912. He was a Past-Chairman of the Institution's Scottish Centre.