William Alfred Pickwoad Explained

William Alfred Pickwoad
Honorific Suffix:OBE FRSA
Birth Date:24 May 1886
Birth Place:Belize
Death Date:1975
Nationality:British

William Alfred Pickwoad (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]

Notes and References

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

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