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Herbert
Austin
worked for Frederick York Wolseley from ca 1885, rising from foreman
to chairman of directors (from 1911). He designed and made the first
Wolseley motor car in 1895 and in 1905 he started the Austin Motor Co.
Career
Highlights
Born Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England, 8 November 1866. Died
Lickey Grange, near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, 23 May 1941. KBE 1917,
Baron. Arrived Melbourne 1884, apprenticed to Henry Langlands junior
in a foundry, after completing his indentures became foreman in R.P.
Park's engineering works, which carried out the first commercial order
for production of shearing machine handpieces for Frederick York Wolseley
(q.v.), suggested improvements which resulted in his appointment as
foreman of Wolseley's plant in Melbourne, Wolseley's Sydney office 1888-93,
production manager of the Wolseley company at Birmingham 1893-1901,
Wolseley's board of directors from 1901, chairman from 1911, general
manager of Vickers Sons & Maxim which took over the machine tools
and motor car side of Wolseley's 1901-05, started his own manufacturing
company 1905. Member, Labour Resettlement Committee 1919-25. In 1936
gave £250,000 to finance the scientific work of Lord Rutherford (q.v.)
at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. A year after his death
tributes still were coming in.
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