James George Slater
James George Slater (1851-1935)
1935 Obituary [1]
JAMES GEORGE SLATER, after a varied engineering experience, became engineer in chief for the enlargement scheme of the Newport Docks, in association with Sir John Wolfe Barry, M.I.Mech.E., the docks being opened in 1917 by H.R.H. Prince Arthur of Connaught.
Mr. Slater was born in 1851 and served his apprenticeship from 1867 to 1870 with Messrs. Losh, Wilson and Bell, at the Walker Ironworks, Northumberland.
He was afterwards employed for ten years by Messrs. Palmer's Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, of Jarrow.
He was then appointed assistant manager of Messrs. J. and G. Rennie, and also acted as foreman of the machine shop.
In 1890 he joined Messrs. John Penn and Sons, of London, as general foreman of the machine shops and in 1898 accepted the position of works manager to Messrs. James Simpson and Company.
He later went to Newark on Trent where he was responsible for the building and organization of the present works there, now controlled by Messrs. Worthington-Simpson, Ltd.
Subsequently Mr. Slater was appointed manager to Messrs. John Russell, Ltd., of Walsall, to Messrs. Cole, Marchent and Morley, Ltd., of Bradford, in succession, and was responsible for several important contracts. He then commenced his work on the Newport dock scheme.
In 1918 he rejoined Messrs. Worthington-Simpson as general manager, living at Newark and remaining there after his retirement in 1926, until his death, which occurred on 4th May 1935, in his eighty-fourth year.
He had been a Member of the Institution since 1902.