John Fairclough

Sir John Whitaker Fairclough ( born August 23, 1930; † 5 June 2003) was a British computer scientist.

Life

After schooling Fairclough studied engineering at the University of Manchester and joined after graduating in the electrical industry company Ferranti a, for which he worked in the USA, where he developed and sold computer components. After his return to Britain he was 1958 employees in the laboratory of IBM in Hursley, where his work led to the development of the microprogram memory, a key technological component of the highly successful System/360 mainframe from IBM. Later Fairclough led the development of IBM Model 40, available from 1965, the first model of the System/360.

In 1983 he became chairman of the laboratories of IBM in the UK and was, until his retirement in 1990 next to it also 1986-1990 Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

In 1990 he became a member of the Board of Directors of the investment bank NM Rothschild & Sons and was involved as dortiger Director, Division of Risk Capital instrumental in the start-up funding new companies.

For his scientific achievements, he was also raised in 1990 as a Knight Bachelor in the personal nobility and led henceforth the title " Sir ". Most recently, he was from 1997 to 1998 president of the British Computer Society.

External links and sources

• Chambers Biographical Dictionary, Edinburgh 2002, ISBN 0 550 10051 2, pp. 509 f
• THE GUARDIAN: Sir John Fairclough - Thatcher adviser who reformed the funding of scientific research (11 June 2003)

• Computer scientist
• Personality of Electrical Engineering
• Developing a computer system
• Knight Bachelor
• Bank Manager
• Briton
• Born in 1930
• Died in 2003
• Man