John Anthony Hardinge Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury FRS (4 June 1908 – 14 January 2000), was a British crossbencher peer and scientist, succeeding to his title in 1943.
He was the grandson of Titanic survivor, Lucy Duff Gordon
Early life
Giffard was educated at Ludgrove School (where a schoolmaster inspired an interest in astronomy) and Eton. His years at Eton were highly successful, as he was a house captain, rowed in the school eight, and was elected to the small band of school prefects known as Pop.
Career
Giffard was managing director of the National Research Development Corporation 1949–1959, after having been Director of Research of Decca Record Company 1947–1949, and previously worked for Lever Brothers, and Brown-Firth Research Laboratories. Subsequently, he served on many public bodies, including chairing the Committee on Decimal Currency (1961–1963); the review on doctors' and dentists' pay 1971-1974 (from which he resigned) and the Halsbury Report into the pay of nurses and midwives 1974-1975.
He was President of the British Computer Society during 1969–70. In 1970 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the British Psychological Society.
In addition, he was also a friend of J. R. R. Tolkien and was one of the few people to read The Silmarillion in Tolkien's lifetime, in 1957.
His grandmother was the Edwardian couturiere Lady Duff-Gordon, otherwise known by her professional name Lucile, who was a survivor of the disaster.
References
External links
- Obituary from The Guardian