William Morris rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most respected industrialists and philanthropists of the 20th century. A driving force behind Britain's motoring boom, he pioneered mass production in Europe and brought the world one of its most iconic models: the Minor, the first million-selling British car. But his success was as selfless as it was single-minded and, spurning a lavish lifestyle, he invested an estimated £30 million (equivalent of Dh26 billion today) during his lifetime to further social advancement and scientific research.
Born in 1877, Morris was one of seven children in a poor, working class family. Moving to Oxford when he was three, his childhood was defined by a struggle to keep food on the table.
These hard times had a profound affect on him and instilled a puritan work ethic that proved pivotal to his success, and stayed with him even when he was one of the richest men in Britain. It was in this cerebral city of colleges and cupolas, far from the industrial heartlands of the north, that he founded one of the largest manufacturing dynasties in Europe.
After learning his trade in motorcycles, Morris made his first car, the famous "Bullnose", in 1912 and rapidly established a flourishing company. After the First World War, Morris was the first European manufacturer to introduce Henry Ford's mass-production techniques, astutely anticipating that the demand for cars would soar once they became affordable to the general public. By introducing a production line he ensured they did, and Morris production exponentially increased from a few hundred a year in 1919 to more than 50,000 by the mid-20s. But he wasn't satisfied with just being an entrepreneur, he wanted to build an empire. With his own marque flourishing, he acquired Riley and Wolseley and, by the onset of the Second World War, was one of the largest car exporters in the world. He had become a figurehead for British industry and his role was soon recognised by the state. At the coronation of the new king George VI in 1937, Morris was attending him in a flowing ermine cloak and, a year later, he was made Viscount Nuffield.
He was a self-made man now ranking alongside the most ancient and noble families in the kingdom. It was recognition and reward for a man who sought neither.
After the war, the immortality of the Morris marque was assured with the Alec Issigonis-designed Minor. But four years after the car's launch, and despite unprecedented demand, Morris was one of the brands consolidated under the British Motor Corporation umbrella, along with its great rival, Austin. Morris-badged models were made until 1984 but, in truth, power had been long since wrested from its founder.
His house, Nuffield Place, is now owned by The National Trust and is open to the public. But those expecting opulence and ostentatious display misjudge the man. In his youth, every penny had counted and, as an adult, none were wasted on excess. His only luxury was purchasing the golf course that adjoined his house, but in every other aspect of his life he was unfalteringly frugal. The carpet in his bedroom was not imported at vast expense from the Orient but was patched together from off-cuts from his factory floor, while a wardrobe that you may imagine would be filled with the fashions of the age was, in fact, a cobbler's tool cupboard, for Morris would fix old shoes rather than treat himself to a new pair. This abstemious trait along with a childless marriage meant that he accrued a vast fortune. Inspired perhaps by the great Victorian benefactors, he spent this hard-earned money on the public good.
Shocked by the pain and suffering of the Polio epidemic of the 1940s, he ordered his factories to make 5,000 iron lungs that were distributed free of charge throughout the Commonwealth. His legacy was to be the Nuffield Foundation, which he founded in 1943 for the advancement of social wellbeing with a grant of £10m. He also gave generous donations and grants to Guy's Hospital and many other medical and scientific institutions.
Though his name is more closely associated with cars that are largely forgotten, his generosity, which has seen millions benefit from his kindness and social conscience, has not been. His home city of Oxford boasts a college carrying his name, built on a tract of land he donated to the university.
