View source for Biography:Frank Kearton, Baron Kearton

{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = The Right Honourable
| name                = The Lord Kearton
| honorific-suffix    = OBE FRS FRSA
| image               = 
| imagesize           = 
| caption             = 
| birth_date          = 17 February 1911
| death_date          = {{death-date and age|2 July 1992|17 February 1911}}
| order               = 
| term_start          = 
| term_end            = 
| predecessor         = 
| successor           = Incumbent
| nationality         = {{wipe|United Kingdom}}
| party               = 
| spouse              = Kathleen, Lady Kearton
| relations           = 
| children            = 2 boys, 2 girls
| alma_mater          = St John's College, Oxford
| occupation          = Peer, [[Scientist]] and Industrialist
| profession          = 
| religion            = 
| signature           = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
| birth_place         = Congleton, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom
| death_place         = Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
}}

'''Christopher Frank Kearton, Baron Kearton''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|OBE|FRS|FRSA}}<ref name="frs">{{Cite journal | last1 = Wooding | first1 = N. |  doi = 10.1098/rsbm.1995.0014 | title = Christopher Frank Kearton Baron Kearton, of Whitchurch, Bucks, Kt, O. B. E. 17 February 1911 – 2 July 1992 | journal = Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society | volume = 41 | pages = 220–226 | year = 1995 | doi-access =  }}</ref> (17 February 1911 – 2 July 1992), usually known as '''Frank Kearton''', was a British life peer in the House of Lords. He was also a [[Scientist|scientist]] and industrialist<ref name="oxforddnb.com">{{cite ODNB
|url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/51170?_fromAuth=1|title = Kearton, (Christopher) Frank, Baron Kearton (1911-1992)
|accessdate = 2008-06-25
|date = 25 June 2008
|doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/51170
}}</ref> and former Chancellor of the [[Organization:University of Bath|University of Bath]].<ref>
{{cite web
|url = http://www.thepeerage.com/p19148.htm|title = Person Page - 19148
|accessdate = 2008-06-25
|date = 25 June 2008
|work = Darryl Lundy
|publisher = ThePeerage.com
}}
</ref>

==Early life and education==

Kearton was born to Christopher John Kearton, a bricklayer, and Lilian (née Hancock) in Congleton, Cheshire, although the family moved to Tunstall in the Potteries not long after his birth. He completed his secondary education at Hanley High School before going up to St John's College, Oxford in 1929 as an open exhibitioner to read [[Chemistry:Chemistry|chemistry]]. He graduated with a First in 1933 although he did not apply for the promotion of his BA to an MA until 1959.<ref name="oxforddnb.com"/>

==Appointments and awards==

Kearton was made an honorary [[Social:Doctor of Science|Doctor of Science]] (DSc) by the [[Organization:University of Bath|University of Bath]] in 1966 when Lord Hinton was appointed the university's first Chancellor. Kearton himself was appointed Chancellor of the university in 1980 and, according to Sir Norman Wooding, was a "notably active member of the University." He was still in office as Chancellor upon his death in 1991.<ref name="oxforddnb.com"/>

* President, Society of Chemical Industry (1972&ndash;1974)
* Chairman, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (1973&ndash;1980)
* Chairman and Chief Executive, British National Oil Corporation (1975&ndash;1979)<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 July 1992|title=Lord Kearton (Obituary)|work=The Times}}</ref>
* Chairman, British Association for the Advancement of Science (1978&ndash;1979)
* Chairman, Association of Special Libraries (1980&ndash;1982)<ref name="frs"/>

His awards include:

* Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1946)<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37412 |date=28 December 1945 |page=280 |supp=y}}</ref>
* Fellow, Royal Society (1961)<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Royal Society |title=Fellows 1660-2007 |url=https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/about-us/fellowship/Fellows1660-2007.pdf |accessdate=12 November 2016}}</ref>
* Honorary Fellow, St John's College, Oxford (1965)
* Companion of The Textile Institute (1965)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.textileinstitute.org/medals-and-awards/medals-and-awards/|title=Medals and Awards 2018|date=2 March 2020}}</ref>
* Knighted (1966)<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=43910 |date=25 February 1966 |page=2147}}</ref> 
* Honorary [[Social:Doctor of Science|Doctor of Science]] (DSc), [[Organization:University of Bath|University of Bath]] (1966)
* Honorary Fellow, UMIST (1966)
* Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD), [[Organization:University of Leeds|University of Leeds]] (1966)
* Honorary Fellow, [[Organization:Institution of Chemical Engineers|Institution of Chemical Engineers]] (1968)
* Created '''Baron Kearton''', of Whitchurch in the County of Buckingham (5 February 1970)<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=45036 |date=6 February 1970 |page=1553}}</ref>
* Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc), [[Organization:Aston University|Aston University]] (1970)
* Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc), [[Organization:University of Reading|University of Reading]] (1970)
* Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc), [[Organization:Keele University|Keele University]] (1970)
* Fellow (FRSA), Royal Society of Arts (1970)
* Fellow, Society of Dyers and Colourists (1974)
* Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Ulster (1975)
* Fellow, Imperial College, London (1976)
* Grand Officiale, Order of Merit, Italy (1977)
* [[Social:Doctor of Civil Law|Doctor of Civil Law]] (DCL), [[Organization:University of Oxford|University of Oxford]] (1978)
* Doctor of the University (DUniv), [[Organization:Heriot-Watt University|Heriot-Watt University]] (1979)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www1.hw.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates.htm|title=Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates|last=|website=www1.hw.ac.uk|access-date=2016-04-06}}</ref>
* Companion of the British Institute of Management (1980)
* Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD), [[Organization:University of Strathclyde|University of Strathclyde]] (1981)
* Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD), [[Organization:University of Bristol|University of Bristol]] (1988)

==Personal life==

Three years after leaving Oxford, on 16 April 1936, he married Kathleen Agnes (née Kay) whom he had met when at school through playing tennis. She had completed a French degree at Bedford College, London and was a teacher at Morecambe Grammar School. The couple later had two sons and two daughters.

Lord Kearton died from cancer on 2 July 1992 at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire and was buried at Whitchurch. He left an estate, according to probate of 14 August 1992, of £337,670.

==References==
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[[Category:Manhattan Project people]]

{{Sourceattribution|Frank Kearton, Baron Kearton}}