Walter Nutt

Walter Frederick Nutt OBE (1874 – 14 November 1940) was Managing Director of The Straits Trading Company (1918–21),[1] at the time one of the largest tin smelting companies in the world,[2] a member of the Federal Malay States Legislative Council[3] and a prominent freemason who was District Grand Master of the Eastern Archipelago (1919–23).[4][5]

The Honourable

Walter Frederick Nutt

OBE
Born1874
London, England
Died14 November 1940
London, England
NationalityBritish
EducationBedford Modern School
Known forManaging Director of The Straits Trading Company

Early life

Walter Nutt was born in Kensington, London in 1874.[6] He was the son of William Henry Rothery Nutt, an official of the Bank of England, and his wife Kathleen Laura (née Bloxham).[6] Like his brothers, Arthur Nutt and Harold Nutt, he was educated as a boarder at Bedford Modern School.[6][7]

Career

Nutt was an expatriate in Malaysia and Singapore for much of his commercial life. He was a director of several commercial concerns including the Bagan River Rubber Company [8] and Managing Director of The Straits Trading Company (1918–21). He was a member of the Federal Malay States Legislative Council.[3]

In 1918, Nutt was awarded an OBE for services in connection with war charities.[9]

In 1919, Nutt successfully speculated in the tin market on behalf of the Straits Trading Company. However, similar efforts in 1921 resulted in the company having to miss a semiannual dividend for the first time in its history. Nutt was forced to resign in January 1922.[10]

Masonic and yachting interests

Nutt was a prominent Freemason becoming District Grand Master of the Eastern Archipelago (1919–23)[4] He was also the first Commodore of the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club.[11]

Personal life

On 16 May 1905, Nutt married Gertrude Isabel Cowper at St Andrew's Cathedral, Singapore.[12] Gertrude Nutt was an artist and the portrait she painted of her husband in full masonic regalia is included in the BBC’s Your Painting series.[13]

Death

On 27 February 1937, Gertrude Nutt died and Walter Nutt died three years later, on 14 November 1940, following an operation in London.[1][14] Walter and Gertrude Nutt were survived by two daughters.[1]

References
  1. Walter Nutt, Obituary in The Straits Times, 16 November 1940
  2. Profile at The Straits Trading Company
  3. Colonial Armies in Southeast Asia, edited by Karl Hack and Tobias Rettig. First published by Routledge, 2006
  4. The Straits Times, 29 May 1920
  5. "Walter Frederick Nutt (1874–1940)". Art UK. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  6. "Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk". ancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  7. 1891 England Census
  8. The Straits Times, 4 November 1919
  9. The Gazette, 4 October 1918
  10. Baldwin, William Lee (1983). The World Tin Market : Political pricing and economic competition. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. pp. 197–198. ISBN 9780822305057.
  11. "HISTORY". rsyc.org.sg. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  12. The Singapore Free Press & Mercantile Advertiser, 17 May 1905
  13. Gertrude Nutt, Obituary in The Straits Times, 15 March 1937
  14. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
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