Sir Godfrey Way Mitchell (31 October 1891 – 9 December 1982) was a construction engineer and entrepreneur who built up George Wimpey into a thriving business.

Career

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Born in Peckham and educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School at Hatcham, Godfrey Mitchell joined Rowe & Mitchell, his father's quarrying business on Alderney on leaving school.[1] He was given a temporary commission in the Royal Engineers in 1916 and served in France.[1]

On demobilisation he returned to England and acquired George Wimpey turning it from a small construction company into a thriving business that exploited the need for new housing after World War I.[1] He was Chairman of the Company from 1930 to 1973 and Life President from 1973 until his death.[1]

Dartford by-election, 1938[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Jennie Adamson 46,514 52.4
Conservative Godfrey Mitchell 42,276 47.6
Majority 4,238 4.8 N/A
Turnout 88,790 68.0
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

A keen amateur cricketer, he also served as Master of the Worshipful Company of Paviors in 1948.[1]

Godfrey Mitchell was knighted in 1948.[3] In 1957 he became a member of the Restrictive Practices Court.[4]

He died in Beaconsfield in 1982.[1]

Family

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In 1929 he married Doreen Lilian and together they went on to have two daughters.[1]

He was the uncle of Nobel Prize winner Peter D. Mitchell.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Godfrey Way Mitchell at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  2. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 383. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  3. ^ Cornbank
  4. ^ "No. 41067". The London Gazette. 10 May 1957. p. 2791.
  5. ^ Slater, E. C. (1 November 1994). "Peter Dennis Mitchell. 29 September 1920-10 April 1992". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 40: 282–305. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1994.0040. JSTOR 770310. S2CID 72791163.