Herbert Geraint Williams
Sir Herbert Geraint Williams (1884-1954)
Born at Hooton, Cheshire.
1939 Exec. Director (since 1934), Incorpd. Assocn. of Electric Power Cos., Abbey House, Westminster, S.W.I. Private Address: 80 Ashley Gardens, S.W.1. Age: 54. Career: 1911-28, Sec. Machine Tool Trades Assocn.; 1928-29, Parliamentary Sec. B.O.T.; 1929-34, Sec. Empire Economic C'tee; during war, R.A.O.C., and Sec. (unpaid), Machine Tool Dept., M. of M. M.P. for Reading, 1924-29, and for S. Croydon since 1932. Author of "Politics and Economics," "Through Tariffs to Prosperity," etc.
1954 Obituary [1]
ENGINEERS will have learned with regret of the death of Sir Herbert Geraint Williams, Bart., which occurred on Sunday last, July 25th, for although in recent years he had devoted most of this time to political affairs, he was by training and profession an engineer.
Sir Herbert, who was sixty-nine, was born at Hooton, Cheshire, and was educated privately and at Liverpool University, where he graduated in 1906. Subsequently, he gained the degrees of M.Sc. and M. Eng.
He served an apprenticeship in the dynamo works of Siemens Brothers, at Stafford, and was then engaged in marine work in the consulting practice of Mr. L. A. Smart, and later in electrical engineering work with Sir John Norton Griffiths.
From 1911 to 1928 Sir Herbert was secretary and manager of the Machine Tool Trades Association, and was then, for some years, director of the Empire Industries Association.
He was also for a time the executive director of the Incorporated Association of Electric Power Companies.
In the first world war Sir Herbert was secretary of the machine tool department of the Ministry of Munitions.
Sir Herbert entered Parliament in 1924, and from 1928 till 1929 he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. In February, 1932, he was returned as Member for South Croydon, which seat he held until the General Election of 1945.
From 1939 to 1944 Sir Herbert was a member of the Select Committee on National Expenditure.
He returned to Parliament in 1950 as member for East Croydon, which constituency he represented at the time of his death.
Sir Herbert was the author of several books and pamphlets on economic and political matters, in most of which he forcefully advocated tariff reform. He received a Knighthood in 1939 and was created a Baronet last year.
1954 Obituary [2]