Sir Godfrey Way Mitchell (31 October 1891 – 9 December 1982) was a construction engineer and entrepreneur who built up George Wimpey into a thriving business.
Career
editBorn in Peckham and educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School at Hatcham, Godfrey Mitchell joined Rowe & Mitchell, his father's quarrying business on Alderney on leaving school.[1] He was given a temporary commission in the Royal Engineers in 1916 and served in France.[1]
On demobilisation he returned to England and acquired George Wimpey turning it from a small construction company into a thriving business that exploited the need for new housing after World War I.[1] He was Chairman of the Company from 1930 to 1973 and Life President from 1973 until his death.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jennie Adamson | 46,514 | 52.4 | ||
| Conservative | Godfrey Mitchell | 42,276 | 47.6 | ||
| Majority | 4,238 | 4.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 88,790 | 68.0 | |||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
A keen amateur cricketer, he also served as Master of the Worshipful Company of Paviors in 1948.[1]
Godfrey Mitchell was knighted in 1948.[3] In 1957 he became a member of the Restrictive Practices Court.[4]
He died in Beaconsfield in 1982.[1]
Family
editIn 1929 he married Doreen Lilian and together they went on to have two daughters.[1]
He was the uncle of Nobel Prize winner Peter D. Mitchell.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Godfrey Way Mitchell at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 383. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ^ Cornbank
- ^ "No. 41067". The London Gazette. 10 May 1957. p. 2791.
- ^ Slater, E. C. (1 November 1994). "Peter Dennis Mitchell. 29 September 1920-10 April 1992". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 40: 282–305. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1994.0040. JSTOR 770310. S2CID 72791163.