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 and Worshipful Master of the Anglo Bolivian Lodge No 7.[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. Who's Who in Latin America: Part IV, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. google.co.uk. ISBN 9780804707374. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. British Documents on Foreign Affairs—Reports and Papers from the Foreign ... – Great Britain. Foreign Office – Google Books. 1997. ISBN 9781556556739. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  3. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34365/supplement/697/data.pdf
  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. "Railway Gazette International". google.co.uk. 1945. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  7. "The Railway Gazette". google.co.uk. October 1944. Retrieved 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. Bedford Modern School of the black & red. worldcat.org. 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". google.co.uk. 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. google.co.uk. 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. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/32264/supplement/2294/data.pdf
  18. Blakemore, Harold (1990). From the Pacific to La Paz. google.co.uk. 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. 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. google.co.uk. ISBN 9780948904530. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  23. "Railway Gazette International". google.co.uk. July 1949. 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". Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  28. "Scottish Rite News Bulletin". Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  29. "Apuntes para la historia de la masonería boliviana". 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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