William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes

British automobile pioneer

Date of Birth: 17-Aug-1894

Place of Birth: Kent, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 12-Dec-1964

Profession: businessperson

Nationality: United Kingdom

Zodiac Sign: Leo

William Edward Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes GBE (17 August 1894 – 12 December 1964) was a British motor manufacturer.
He opened his first car sales agency in 1913, leading to the global Rootes Group.
During the Second World War he supervised the volume manufacture of aircraft and engines, as well as the supply of military motor vehicles and armoured fighting vehicles.
He was knighted in 1942 for these services and for organising the reconstruction of bomb-damaged Coventry after its saturation bombing by the Luftwaffe on 14–15 November 1940.
In the 1950s, he became a leader of Britain's export drive, and chaired a committee to found the University of Warwick with a vision of academic links with industry.