John ('Jock') Middleton Campbell, Baron Campbell of Eskan
(1912-1994), Businessman; instrumental in founding The Booker PrizeSitter in 1 portrait
Campbell was a businessman in the sugar industry. He was born into a family whose wealth had derived from the slave trade, and could trace a line of descent from a Jamaican slave. He took charge of family sugar estates in Guyana in 1934. He merged the family firm with the larger Booker Brothers, McConnell and Co. and after 1945 managed and became chairman of the combined business, investing heavily in technology and improving workers' housing and health facilities. He argued that 'maximising profits cannot and should not be the sole purpose, or even the primary purpose, of business'. A Labour peer and chairman of the Milton Keynes Development Corporation, The Booker Prize, launched in 1969 arose from managing the copyright of his friend, the novelist Ian Fleming.
John ('Jock') Middleton Campbell, Baron Campbell of Eskan
by Godfrey Argent
bromide print, 7 October 1969
NPG x165540
Tell us more back to top
Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.
If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service.
Please note that we cannot provide valuations.
We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.