Alec Horsley

Alec Stewart Horsley (1 September 1902 - 11 June 1993) was a leading Hull Quaker and supporter of the peace movement. He also founded Northern Foods.

Career

Born in Ripley, Derbyshire and educated at Worcester College, Oxford, where he read PPE, Alec Horsley entered and later abandoned the Colonial Service.^[1]

In 1932 he joined his father's condensed milk business, Pape and Co., Ltd., a small Hull-based concern importing Dutch condensed milk for wholesale. He established a small condensed-milk factory at Holme-on-Spalding-Moor in 1937 and expanding it so creating Northern Foods, one the United Kingdom's largest food manufacturers.^[1]

He joined Sir Richard Acland's Common Wealth Party during the 1940s, participated in Committee of 100 (United Kingdom) and was a lifelong member of the Society of Friends.^[1] He was a city councillor on Hull Council from 1945 to 1949 and Sheriff of Hull in 1953.^[1]

He founded the Hull branch of the Fabian Society in 1943.^[2]

He was a great friend of the biologist, John Boyd Orr.^[1] He made an Honorary Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford under the Provostship of Asa Briggs who also wrote his obituary.^[1]

He was a prison reformer and founder membership of CND which led him to support the Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University.^[1]

He was keen on sport and when he was in Nigeria he played tennis for the country,^[1] and when he ceased to play tennis he took up golf.^[1]

In 1982 he was given an honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Hull.^[3]

He retired as Chairman at Northern Foods in 1987 but remained Life President until he died in Hessle in 1993.^[1]

Family

In 1932 he married Susan Howitt. They had three sons and two daughters.^[1]

References