Willis Jackson, Baron Jackson of Burnley

Willis Jackson, Baron Jackson of Burnley FRS (29 October 1904 – 17 February 1970)

Background and education Born in Burnley, he was the only son of Herbert Jackson and his wife Annie Hiley. He obtained a Bachelor of Science first class, having previously won three different scholarships.

He was made an honorary Doctor of Engineering by the University of Sheffield and received a Doctor of Laws from the University of Aberdeen He was granted an honorary fellowship by the City and Guilds of London Institute That same year, the University of Dundee conferred upon him another honorary degree and he was elected a fellow by the Royal College of Art.

In 1961, he presented the Bernard Price Memorial Lecture in South Africa, and on 21 November 1963 delivered the Tenth Fawley Foundation Lecture.

Vocational career After his education, Jackson became lecturer in electrical engineering first at the Bradford Technical College (now the University of Bradford) until 1929. and joined again Vickers as director of its research and education department, a post he held until 1961. He served as president of the Institution of Electrical Engineers in the following two years until 1960 and after another year became president of the Association of Supervising Electrical Engineers. He published a number of books and journal articles on his research.

Political career In 1944 Jackson was appointed to the Radio Research Board of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in which he sat for four years; he served another term from 1950. A year later Jackson was admitted to BBC's Engineering Advisory Committee and in 1951 to the Committee of Selection to the Commonwealth Fund Fellowships.

Awards and honours Jackson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1953, his nomination reads. He was elected to Membership of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1942.

Personal life In 1938 he married Mary, daughter of Robert Oliphant Boswall, a lecturer in mechanical engineering; they had two daughters.

One of Jackson's closest friends was the physicist John F. Allen. In his last years he supported the development of the Indian Institutes of Technology.