William Douglas Weir, 1st Viscount Weir Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Personal Computer was a Scottish industrialist and politician, who served as President of the Air Council in 1918.
Background
Weir was born in Glasgow in 1877, the eldest child of James Weir (1842/3–1920) and his wife, Mary Richmond (1848–1931). He attended Allan Glen"s School and the High School of Glasgow before entering an apprenticeship in the business established by his father and his uncle, G. and J. Weir, manufacturers of condensers, pumps, and evaporators. He married Alice Blanche MacConnachie (1882–1959), the daughter of John MacConnachie on 2 June 1904.
Career
Weir rose to become a director of G. and J. Weir, before serving as managing director between 1902 and 1915, and as chairman from 1910 to 1953. During World War I, he converted his factories to produce explosive shells. He went on to hold a number of other directorships, including Lloyds Bank (1928-1938), Imperial Chemical Industries (1928-1953), International Nickel (1928-1959), and Shell Transport and Trading (1939).
He was also chairman of the Anglo-Scottish Sugar Beet Corporation.
He joined the Air Council in November 1917 and became its President in April 1918, resigning in December that year after the end of the war. He joined the Privy Council in April and was elevated raised to the peerage as Baron Weir, of Eastwood in the County of Renfrew, in the summer.
He didn"t desire any further political power, and went on to serve on a number of government committees, including those on civil aviation, economies in the fighting services, and co-ordination between the navy, army, and air force. During 1924 and 1925, Weir chaired the committee on electricity supply to plan the rationalisation of the United Kingdom"s electrical power industry.
His conclusions led to the Electricity (Supply) Acting 1926, and the creation of the National Grid and the Central Electricity Board.
In 1935, he was a member defence policy and requirements committee and became advisor to Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, later Viscount Swinton upon his appointment as Secretary of State for Air. He was behind the creation of shadow aircraft factories and was an advisor on national defence, resigning his position after Swinton"s dismissal. He was created Viscount Weir, of Eastwood in the County of Renfrew in 1938, and in 1939 he was director-general of explosives at the Ministry of Supply.
Styles of address 1877-1917: Mr Wiliam Douglas Weir 1917-1918: Sir William Douglas Weir Kt 1918: The Right Honourable Sir William Douglas Weir Kt 1918-1934: The Right Honourable The First Baron Weir Kt Personal Computer 1934-1938: The Right Honourable The First Baron Weir Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Personal Computer 1938-1959: The Right Honourable The First Viscount Weir Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Personal Computer Honours The archives of William Douglas Weir are maintained by the of the University of Glasgow.