William Alfred Pickwoad

William Alfred Pickwoad OBE FRSA (1886–1975) was a British businessman who was a prominent figure in South America’s railway industry and also held directorships in the major business concerns of Bolivia during the 1930s and 1940s.[1][2][3][4] He was variously General Manager of the Antofagasta & Bolivia Railway, General Manager of the Central Argentine Railway, General Manager of the General Mitre Railway,[5] special adviser to the Argentine Ministry of Transport, President of the Bolivian Railway, a founding director of the Central Bank of Bolivia,[6] President of Banco Mercantil, still one of the largest banks in Bolivia, and President of the National Cement Company of Bolivia.[7] Pickwoad was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1937,[3] a Grand Officer of the Order of the Condor of the Andes in Bolivia, a Commander of the Mérito Militar in Bolivia and as an Officer of the Cruzeiro do Sol in Brazil.[1]

Early life

William Alfred Pickwoad was born in Belize[8] as a British subject on 24 May 1886, the son of Robert Williams Pickwoad and Helen Marian Pickwoad.[1][9] He was educated at Bedford Modern School and St John’s School, Hurstpierpoint.[1][10] His brother, Howell Pickwoad,[11] was the father of the actor William Mervyn Pickwoad.[12]

Career

Pickwoad started his career in 1904 with the Great Western Railway of Brazil.[13][14] At the outbreak of World War I he volunteered for active service and attained the rank of Captain in the Royal Engineers.[15][16][17]

After the war Pickwoad became General Manager of the Antofagasta and Bolivia Railway[18] and President of the Bolivian Railway.[19] In 1944 he was appointed General Manager of the Central Argentine Railway,[20] a position he held until 1948 when he was made special adviser to the Argentine Ministry of Transport.[21][22] In 1949 he was made President of a significant import and export business in São Paulo, Brazil.[23]

In addition to his work on South American railways, Pickwoad was a founding director of the Central Bank of Bolivia,[6] President of Banco Mercantil, still one of the largest banks in Bolivia, and President of the National Cement Company of Bolivia.[7]

Pickwoad was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1937,[3] a Grand Officer of the Order of the Condor of the Andes in Bolivia, a Commander of the Mérito Militar of Bolivia and an Officer of the Cruzeiro do Sol in Brazil.[1]

Personal life

On 17 August 1929, Pickwoad married Mary Frances Watkins of Alhambra, California, USA.[8] They had one daughter, Pamela Elizabeth Pickwoad,[24][25] who married (secondly) Lieutenant-Colonel James Dighton Butler with whom she had two children.[26]

A prominent freemason, Pickwoad was Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of Bolivia.[27][28][29] He was a founder of the Rotary Club of La Paz in Bolivia and one of its early Presidents.[30][31]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Who's Who in Latin America: Part IV, Bolivia, Chile and Peru". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "British Documents on Foreign Affairs--Reports and Papers from the Foreign ... - Great Britain. Foreign Office - Google Books". google.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34365/supplement/697/data.pdf
  4. ↑ "Foreign Relations of the United States". google.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Railway Gazette". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Railway Gazette International". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 "The Railway Gazette". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  8. 1 2 Certificate of Marriage, American Consular Service, Antofagasta, Chile, 27 August 1929
  9. ↑ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003
  10. ↑ "Bedford Modern School of the black & red". worldcat.org. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk". ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "Who's who in the Theatre". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Railway Gazette International". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "British Documents on Foreign Affairs--Reports and Papers from the Foreign ... - Great Britain. Foreign Office - Google Books". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Biographies of Argentine railwaymen". diaagency.ca. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "The London Gazette". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  17. ↑ https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32264/supplement/2294/data.pdf
  18. ↑ "From the Pacific to La Paz". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  19. ↑ "Railway Age". google.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  20. ↑ "British Documents on Foreign Affairs--Reports and Papers from the Foreign ... - Great Britain. Foreign Office - Google Books". google.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  21. ↑ "The Railway Gazette". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "British Railways in Argentina 1860-1948". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  23. ↑ "Railway Gazette International". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  24. ↑ "- Person Page 27315". thepeerage.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  25. ↑ "The Chiefs of Clan Macnachtan and Their Descendants". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  27. ↑ "The New Age Magazine". google.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  28. ↑ "Scottish Rite News Bulletin". google.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  29. ↑ "Apuntes para la historia de la masonería boliviana". google.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  30. ↑ "Compilación de leyes sociales". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  31. ↑ "DECRETO SUPREMO No 13-08-1935 del 13 de Agosto de 1935 » Derechoteca". derechoteca.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.


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