Arthur Keen and the Patent Nut & Bolt Co. 1856–1900

Edgar Jones

Chapter 6 in A History of GKN, 1987, pp 165-198 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract Arthur Keen (1835–1915) was, in a sense, the creator of Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds. The architect of the mergers which brought together its three principal parts in 1900–02, he was the first chairman of GKN and served in that office until his death on 8 February 1915.1 Neither an inventive engineer (he had no professional qualifications) nor an expert on steel-making (he had not studied metallurgy or any other science at a technical institute or university), Keen was in essence an authoritarian businessman, an indefatigable worker with an obsessional passion for growth, whether internally generated or by acquisition. He possessed a shrewd eye for a take-over and through an extensive network of contacts in industry, finance and various trade and professional associations was able to build a mighty empire from modest beginnings. Occupying an intermediate stage between the entrepreneur who owned his own business and the professionally-trained manager who pursued his career by promotion through various companies, he was the founder of the Patent Nut & Bolt Co. and its chief executive without possessing ultimate financial control. In the mould of Joseph Chamberlain or J.H. Nettlefold, Arthur Keen exhibited qualities of drive and vision but was not without a trace of ruthlessness.

Keywords: Blast Furnace; National Museum; Royal Commission; Railway Carriage; Obsessional Passion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1987
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DOI: 10.1007/978-1-349-06629-2_6

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