Sir William Morris: Legacy Beyond a Lifetime

William R. Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield was a British motor manufacturer and philanthropist. He was known as William Morris, Bt from 1929 to 1934, and The Lord Nuffield between 1934 and 1938, a title which he took from the village where he lived, Nuffield, Oxfordshire. Morris founded the Morris Motors Limited, Nuffield Foundation and Nuffield College in Oxford.

Morris was born on October 1877 in Worcester, England. He grew up in 16 James Street in Oxford, where his family moved when he was just three. He left the school when he was fifteen to work as an apprentice in a local bicycle repairer and seller. At sixteen, Morris declined an increase in his salary in favor of his own bicycle repair business which he opened in a shed at the back of his parents’ home. Because of his success, Morris opened a larger business located in High Street. Morris began to repair and assemble bicycles and labeled his product as The Morris.

Using  his own machines, Morris joined racing competitions even as far as South London. He did not limit himself with one time or one distance. At one point, Morris became the the champion of Oxford City and Oxford County, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire for distances that vary between one mile and fifty miles.

In 1901, Morris shifted to motorcycles. He acquired a number of buildings along Longwall Street. There, he designed the Morris Motor Cycle, continued to repair bicycles and operated a taxi service. Morris was also involved in repairing, hiring and selling cars. By 1910, Morris built a new business location which was called as The Oxford Motor Place. Morris renamed the business from The Oxford Garage to The Morris Garage.

Morris was the first to introduce Henry Ford’s mass production techniques in England. He assembled new car models by buying components from the US. Morris got the license from Hotchkiss for his American engines. Unwilling to expand, Morris acquired Hotchkiss and renamed it Morris Engines Limited. He also purchased E.G. Wrigley and Company, the manufacturer of back-axle, and renamed it Morris Commercial Cars Limited.

At one point in his career, Morris became known as the most popular industrialist of his time.