Laurence Joseph Kettle
Laurence Joseph Kettle (c1876-1958) of the Dublin Electricity Department
1960 Obituary [1]
Laurence Joseph Kettle died in August at the age of 82. He was a member of a well-known Irish family, whose members have served in Ireland in many ways; his father was Parnell's adviser and his brother was a poet and a prominent politician. Dr Kettle was one of the foremost Irish engineers.
He was responsible for the successful organization of the Dublin Electricity Department, which he joined in 1912 and with which he was associated until his retirement in 1950. Such developments as the Liffey hydro-electric schemes and the generation of electricity from turf-burning stations were largely due to him. He was keenly interested in economic affairs and in research, and he published many articles on these subjects.
Dr Kettle was an admired and respected member of this Institution, which he joined as an Associate Member in 1907, transferring to Member in 1912. He was a founder member of the Republic of Ireland Committee. He was also an active member of several other Institutions. He was a Past-President of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland, he had served as Chairman of the Irish Centre of the Institution of Electrical Engineers and he was a Fellow of the Institute of Fuel. Dr Kettle was a founder member of the World Power Conference and was Secretary of the Irish committee for many years.