Sir George Christopher Clayton (11 July 1869 – 28 July 1945) was a British scientist, industrialist and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. Clayton was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

and graduated from University College, Liverpool with a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in chemistry in 1896.''Obituary: Sir Christopher Clayton Kt CBE PhD FRIC JP'', The Times, 31 July 1945, p. 6 On graduation he obtained a post with the

United Alkali Company United Alkali Company Limited was a British chemical company formed in 1890, employing the Leblanc process to produce soda ash for the glass, textile, soap, and paper industries. It became one of the top four British chemical companies merged in ...

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

. In 1907 he joined the board of the company. When United Alkali was merged with three other chemical companies to form

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British Chemical industry, chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. Its headquarters were at Millbank in London. ICI was listed on the London Stock Exchange ...

in 1926, Clayton became a director of ICI. At the 1922 general election he succeeded in regaining the Widnes constituency for the Conservative party. He held the seat until the 1929 election when he was defeated by his Labour Party opponent. In 1925 he was appointed by

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

to the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

Advisory Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. At the 1931 general election he returned to parliament as MP for the Wirral Division of Cheshire. He was President of the

Royal Institute of Chemistry The Royal Institute of Chemistry was a British scientific organisation. Founded in 1877 as the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland (ICGBI), its role was to focus on qualifications and the professional status of chemists, and its ai ...

from 1930 to 1933 and was knighted in 1933. He only sat for one term, retiring in 1935 due to his business commitments. Apart from being a director of ICI, Clayton was also chairman of the Liverpool Gas Company and vice-chairman of the Power Gas Corporation.''Liverpool Gas Company'', The Times, 19 December 1934, p. 19 Clayton married Mabel Valentine Grainger of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

in 1896, and made his home at Kilry Lodge,

Alyth Alyth () () is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, northeast of Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie and about northwest of Dundee. In 2022 the town had an estimated population of 3,046. First mentioned by name in a 12th-century royal char ...

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

, where he died in 1945 aged seventy-six.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, G C 1869 births 1945 deaths People educated at Harrow School Alumni of the University of Liverpool Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1931–1935 Politicians from Liverpool Commanders of the Order of the British Empire