William Mitchell-Thomson, 1st Baron Selsdon

William Lowson Mitchell-Thomson, 1st Baron Selsdon

Mitchell-Thomson was educated at Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford. He earned his LL.B with distinction from the University of Edinburgh in 1902.^[1] He joined the Scottish bar that same year, but spent several years traveling before returning to Scotland.^[3][1]

He was elected as a

Following the War, he was appointed the British representative on the Supreme Economic Council followed by appointments as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food and at the Board of Trade.^[1]

He was then MP for Glasgow Maryhill between 1918 and 1922, then Conservative MP for Croydon South, South London from 1923 to 1932.

In 1922, Mitchell-Thomson was

In 1932, Mitchell-Thomson resigned from the

In May 1934 the British government appointed a committee, under the guidance of Lord Selsdon, to begin enquiries into the viability of setting up a public television service, with recommendations as to the conditions under which such a service could be offered. The results of the Selsdon Report were issued as a single Government White Paper in January of the following year. The BBC was to be entrusted with the development of television. Lord Selsdon was one of those to appear on the first day of BBC television broadcasts, 2 November 1936, now in his new capacity as Chairman of the Television Advisory Committee.^[3][1]

Personal life

Mitchell-Thomson was twice married. In 1907, he firstly married Madeleine, daughter of Sir

Lord Selsdon died at his home in 20 Grosvenor Square, London, in December 1938, aged 61, and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, his ashes later buried in Edinburgh.^[7] He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son Peter, who became a well-known racing driver.

References