George Chubb, 3rd Baron Hayter

George Charles Hayter Chubb, 3rd Baron Hayter KCVO CBE (25 April 1911–2 September 2003) was a British industrialist and politician.

Chubb was the son of Charles Archibald Chubb (1871–1967), and the great-great grandson of Charles Chubb (1772–1845), who had founded Chubb and Sons Lock and Safe Co. He was the last family chairman of the company and also a Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords.

Business career

Chubb joined the family firm in 1931 learning the skills of lock-making in the Wolverhampton factory, and then worked in sales at the firm's St James's Street branch. He became managing director in 1941 and chairman in 1957.^[1]

He played a major part in the post-war expansion of the company from a highly specialised family concern to a diversified international business. He travelled to Australia, Canada and South Africa to open new businesses. During his chairmanship he oversaw acquisitions and expansion which took Chubb into a broad range of products, including fire protection equipment. The group's workforce grew from 700 to 17,000, in 17 countries. He retired in 1981.^[2]

Politics

When he succeeded to the barony in 1967, he sat as a crossbencher in the House of Lords. He made his maiden speech on the role of locks and safes in crime prevention. This was in stark contrast to his father, who had never made a speech in 21 years of attending the House. He became deputy chairman in 1981 after retiring from Chubb.

In 1986 he emerged as a leader of a coalition of peers who opposed the abolition of the Greater London Council. Although unsuccessful this reinforced his position as a deputy chairman (or deputy speaker). He disappeared from the House along with most other hereditary peers following the reforms brought about by the House of Lords Act 1999.^[3]

Awards

He was invested as CBE in 1976 and KCVO in 1977.^[4]

Personal life

Chubb was educated at The Leys School, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read history, graduating in 1932 with an MA. He married Elizabeth Anne Rumbold MBE, only daughter of Thomas Arthur Rumbold and Rosemary Hazel Hampshire, on 28 March 1940. They had four children; the eldest son and heir was Hon. George William Michael Chubb, born 9 October 1943. He succeeded to the titles of 3rd Baronet Chubb, of Newlands and 3rd Baron Hayter, of Chislehurst in the County of Kent, on the death of his father on 3 March 1967.^[4]

He had a wide range of outside interests; from 1965 to 1982 he was chairman of the management committee of the King's Fund, he championed the development of the 'King's Fund bed', an adaptable design which became the standard in British hospitals; he was chairman of the Design Council. the Royal Society of Arts, the Duke of Edinburgh's "Countryside in 1970" committee and the British Security Industry Association. He was also president of the Royal Warrant Holders' Association, the Business Equipment Trade Association and the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce. He served as upper bailiff of the Worshipful Company of Weavers where he actively supported the admission of women liverymen.^[2]

He died on 2 September 2003, aged 92, and was succeeded to the barony by his eldest son, George William Michael Chubb.^[4] As of 31 July 2012 the claimed present holder of the barony has not successfully proven his succession to the baronetcy and is therefore not on the Official Roll of the Baronetage. However, the case is under review by the Registrar of the Baronetage.^[5]

Notes

References

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990