William Weir, 1st Viscount Weir
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William Douglas Weir, 1st Viscount Weir GCB (1877 - 1959) was a Scottish industrialist born in Glasgow.
During World War I he converted his factories to produce explosive shells, and in 1919 he became Minister of Munitions.
He was made a Knight in 1917. In 1918 he became President of the Air Council and raised to the peerage as Baron Weir. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in the same year.
In 1925 Weir headed a government committee to plan the rationalisation of the United Kingdom's electrical power industry, and his conclusions led to the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 and the creation of the National Grid.
In 1938 he was created Viscount Weir of Eastwood.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Lord Rothermere |
President of the Air Council 1918-1919 |
Succeeded by J. E. B. Seely |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New creation |
Viscount Weir 1938-1959 |
Succeeded by James Weir |
[edit] References
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Categories: Scottish politician stubs | Scottish nobility stubs | United Kingdom business biography stubs | 1877 births | 1959 deaths | People from Glasgow | Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath | Scottish businesspeople | Scottish politicians | Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
