Douglas Vickers

Douglas Vickers (24 July 1861 – 23 November 1937) was an English industrialist and politician. His family owned the famous Sheffield firm Vickers, Sons & Co. Ltd.

Douglas Vickers
Portrait of Vickers, by John Singer Sargent, 1914
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam
In office
1918–1922
Preceded byH. A. L. Fisher
Succeeded bySir Frederick Sykes
Personal details
Born(1861-07-24)24 July 1861
Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died23 November 1937(1937-11-23) (aged 76)
Mayfair, London, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)
Katharine Adelaide Chetwynd
​
​
(m. 1893)​
Children4
ParentsFrances Mary Douglas Vickers
Thomas Edward Vickers
Vickers as caricatured by Spy (Leslie Ward) in Vanity Fair, December 1909

Early life

Vickers was born on 24 July 1861 in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. He was a son of Frances Mary (née Douglas) Vickers (1841–1904) and Colonel Thomas Edward Vickers (1833–1915).[1] His father commissioned John Singer Sargent to paint portraits of the family. Douglas' portrait was painted in 1914.

Career

He became Director of the family business in 1897, and was Master Cutler of Sheffield in 1908. He was elected as a Conservative MP for Sheffield Hallam in 1918, and held the seat until 1922.[2]

In 1918, he succeeded his uncle as chairman of the armament firm Vickers Ltd. and served in that role until 1926 making "many valuable contributions to metallurgical science and provided funds for the investigation of new treatments for tuberculosis."[2] He retired in 1926 when the firm merged with Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd. to become Vickers Armstrongs, Ltd.[2]

Personal life
The Vickers family plot at Brookwood Cemetery

In 1893, Vickers was married to Katharine Adelaide Chetwynd (1862–1944), a daughter of Capt. Hon. Henry Weyland Chetwynd and a granddaughter of Richard Chetwynd, 6th Viscount Chetwynd. Katharine's brother later succeeded as the 8th Viscount Chetwynd. Together, Douglas and Katharine were the parents of four children:

  • Oliver Henry Douglas (1898–1928), who married Barbara Kathleen Wallace, a daughter of Falconer Lewis Wallace, DL.[3]
  • Felicite Vickers (1901–1901), who died in infancy.
  • Sholto Douglas Vickers (1902–1939), who married Princess Olga Alexandrovna Galitzine.[4]
  • Angus Douglas Vickers (1904–1990), a Lt. Col. in the British Army who married Phyllis Maud Francis.[5]

He died on 23 November 1937 in Mayfair, London.[2] He is buried in the family plot in Brookwood Cemetery.

References
  1. "Tilt Hammer - Steel City Founders - Thomas and Albert Vickers". www.tilthammer.com. 29 August 2005. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  2. TIMES, Wireless to THE NEW YORK (25 November 1937). "DOUGLAS VICKERS; HEADED ARMS FIRM; Chairman of British Company Retired When It Merged With Armstrong's" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  3. The Sketch. Illustrated London News and Sketch. 1919. p. xii. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  4. "Vickers family history". www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk. Sheffield History - Sheffield Memories. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  5. "ROYAL: A SCOTTISH SILVER PRIZE BOWL, HAMILTON & INCHES, EDINBURGH, 1961 the otherwise plain body eng". www.easyliveauction.com. Easy Live Auction Ltd. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
H. A. L. Fisher		 Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam
1918–1922		 Succeeded by
Sir Frederick Sykes
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