William Alfred Pickwoad

OBE FRSA
Born24 May 1886
Belize
Died1975
NationalityBritish

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] who married (secondly) Lieutenant-Colonel James Dighton Butler with whom she had two children.[25]

A prominent freemason, Pickwoad was Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of Bolivia and Worshipful Master of the Anglo Bolivian Lodge No 7.[26][27][28] He was a founder of the Rotary Club of La Paz in Bolivia and one of its early presidents.[29][30]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Who's Who in Latin America: Part IV, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804707374. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. ↑ British Documents on Foreign Affairs—Reports and Papers from the Foreign ... – Great Britain. Foreign Office – Google Books. University Publications of America. 1997. ISBN 9781556556739. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 1 FEBRUARY, 1937, Issue 34365, p. 697
  4. ↑ "Foreign Relations of the United States". 1963. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Railway Gazette". google.co.uk. July 1949. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Railway Gazette International". google.co.uk. 1945. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 "The Railway Gazette". google.co.uk. October 1944. 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. OCLC 16558393.
  11. ↑ "Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk". ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  12. ↑ Parker, John (1972). Who's who in the Theatre. Pitman. ISBN 9780273315285. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Railway Gazette International". google.co.uk. 1945. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  14. ↑ British Documents on Foreign Affairs—Reports and Papers from the Foreign ... – Great Britain. Foreign Office – Google Books. University Publications of America. 1997. ISBN 9781556556739. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Biographies of Argentine railwaymen". diaagency.ca. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "The London Gazette". google.co.uk. 1917. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  17. ↑ Supplement to the London Gazette, 21 MARCH, 1921, Issue 32264, p. 2294
  18. ↑ Blakemore, Harold (1990). From the Pacific to La Paz. Antofagasta Holdings. ISBN 9781870915090. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  19. ↑ "Railway Age". 1928. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  20. ↑ British Documents on Foreign Affairs—Reports and Papers from the Foreign ... – Great Britain. Foreign Office – Google Books. University Publications of America. 1997. ISBN 9781556556739. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  21. ↑ "The Railway Gazette". google.co.uk. October 1948. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  22. ↑ Stones, H. R. (1993). British Railways in Argentina 1860–1948. ISBN 9780948904530. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  23. ↑ "Railway Gazette International". google.co.uk. July 1949. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  24. ↑ "The Chiefs of Clan Macnachtan and Their Descendants". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  25. ↑ "Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "The New Age Magazine". Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  27. ↑ "Scottish Rite News Bulletin". 26 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  28. ↑ "Apuntes para la historia de la masonería boliviana". 26 August 1991. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  29. ↑ Bolivia (26 August 2023). "Compilación de leyes sociales". google.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  30. ↑ "DECRETO SUPREMO No 13-08-1935 del 13 de Agosto de 1935 " Derechoteca". derechoteca.com. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
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