Robert James Clayton
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Sir Robert Clayton | |
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Born | Robert James Clayton 30 October 1915 GEC Hirst Research Centre |
Sir Robert James Clayton CBE (30 October 1915 – 20 June 1998) was an English electronics engineer who was notable in the area of defence and industrial electronics. He worked for the GEC conglomerate for the whole of his career, becoming the company's technical director. Clayton is credited with playing a significant role in the post-war development of electronics in the United Kingdom.[1]
Early life
He was the only son of Frank Clayton, wine merchant's assistant, and his wife, Flora, née Gillbanks. His parents struggled to support themselves because his father, originally a clerk, had been invalided out of the services in the
Career
Upon graduating in 1937 he joined the
In 1955, GEC invited Clayton to establish its Applied Electronics Laboratories at Stanmore, North London, to create a defence electronics capability, initially to develop missile guidance systems for the Royal Navy. By 1963 all the diverse GEC activities in electronics were brought together, with Clayton as managing director. At this point Arnold Weinstock took control of the vulnerable GEC and, with government encouragement, embarked on the rationalisation of the fragmented UK electrical industry. He soon recognised that Clayton could provide the necessary technical input to his own financial acumen, and in 1968 appointed Clayton technical director of the enlarged company. Clayton continued in this role, while turning his attention from streamlining the overlapping activities of the acquired companies to future ventures. However, Weinstock's growing financial caution was a limiting factor, and after Clayton joined the main board in 1978 he acted mainly in an advisory role and as the technical presence of the GEC on major issues, until he retired in 1983.
During the period of rationalisation of the UK electronics industry he was often perceived as a hard man who implemented Weinstock's plans. Equally, others saw him as protecting the essential research and development activities and endeavouring to move GEC into areas of future growth—often against a company culture of short-termism.
Personal life
On 2 April 1949 he married Joy Kathleen (c. 1925–1997), daughter of Allan McFarlane King, an electrician, and they moved to live at Stanmore. They had no children.
In his retirement, ill health and blindness increasingly restricted his activities. He was widowed in 1997. He died at Northwick Park Hospital, Brent, on 20 June 1998. His cremation was marked only by an informal gathering of friends and the dedication of a copse of trees of the Woodland Trust. His wealth at death exceeded £2 million.
Honours
He was a Fellow of the
Another outcome was the invitation to join many ‘
References
- Physics World (Sept 1998)
- IEE News (Sept 1998)
- The Times (20 July 1998)
- Daily Telegraph (13 Aug 1998)
- R. Clayton and J. Algar, The GEC Research Laboratories, 1919–1984 (1989)
- C. Foxell, "Clayton, Sir Robert James (1915–1998)," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Notes
- ^ http://physicsworld.com/cws/index/print/1998 Physics World, Sep 1998, p.53
- ^ "Honorary graduates of Aston University". Archived from the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
- ^ "Honorary graduates A-Z | City University London". www.city.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013.