Draft:John O. Lyle

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  • Comment: May be notable, but the existing (poor) references do not include significant coverage (ie more than passing mentions or routine reporting) in reliable, independent, secondary sources, per WP:GNG. I have deleted some irrelevant/unreliable inline citations (eg: links to Wikis, to the T&L website home page). One of the remaining inline citations ("John O. Lyle, an Appreciation") looks promising, but cannot be verified on the information given. Some reference numbering ([17], [18]) was included but have no associated citations. Citations about Sucralose are irrelevant unless they mention Lyle's role. Paul W (talk) 14:00, 9 April 2024 (UTC)


John O. Lyle (1918-1985) was a British businessman who was executive chairman of the British sugar group Tate & Lyle from 1964 to 1978.

Early life and education[edit]

The son of Oliver Lyle and Lilian Isabel (nee Spicer), John Lyle attended Uppingham School and Clare College, Cambridge. During World War II, he fought in No. 234 Squadron RAF,[1] which had re-equipped with Spitfires in 1940.

Career[edit]

Lyle joined the family sugar firm in 1945.[1] He became executive chairman of Tate & Lyle in 1964,[2] and that year oversaw Tate & Lyle's acquisition of United Molasses for £30M,[3] even though he was then new to the company, and comparatively young. He was involved with new developments in the US and Canada, as well as the traditional interests of the company on the Clyde and the Thames.[4] The deal he worked out gave Tate & Lyle the largest shipping fleet in the world.[5]

UK sugar shortages saw Lyle become active in politics[6] and the media. Especially important was the opposition to EU policies favouring beet sugar over the British cane sugar. The then Government, preferring the EU approach, subsidised Tate & Lyle with an £8M annual subsidy in compensation for pursuing its European policies.

In the 1970s, Lyle was forced to defend Tate & Lyle's activities in apartheid-era South Africa. On 12 March 1973, a Guardian report by Adam Raphael, "British firms pay Africans starvation rate", listed nine companies including Tate & Lyle whose subsidiaries paid low wages. As company chairman, Lyle defended the company's position in a letter to The Times on 15 March 1973.[7] Four years later, a 1977 ATV series by Antony Thomas, The South Africa Experience, highlighted malpractices by British firms including Tate & Lyle. The company attempted to block broadcast of the series' third film, titled "Working for Britain", and Lyle used an advertisement in the Daily Express to claim the film "contain[ed] grossly distorted statements which combine to give a totally unrepresentative picture".[8][7]

During Lyle's time at Tate & Lyle, the artificial sweetener sucralose (later marketed as Splenda),[9] was discovered in 1976 by company scientists. Researchers Leslie Hough and Shashikant Phadnis at Queen Elizabeth College (now part of King's College London)[10] were researching novel uses of sucrose and its synthetic derivatives. Phadnis was told to "test" a chlorinated sugar compound; according to an anecdotal account, Phadnis thought Hough asked him to "taste" it, so he did and found the compound to be exceptionally sweet.[11]

Lyle stepped down as executive chairman in 1978, when Lord Jellicoe took his place.[12][13] Lyle then became president of the company until his retirement in 1983.[4]

During the Thatcher years, Lyle supported Government policy, and was active and influential in politics. In 1984, he met with the Prime Minister in 1984 in connection with Aims of Industry in 1984.[14] Among his many friends and colleagues around Westminster were Peter Walker, Secretary of State for Agriculture under Thatcher, and Nicholas Ridley, who held the positions of Secretary of State for the Environment, and for Trade and Industry.[citation needed]

Lyle was a keen cricketer and a supporter of Kent County Cricket Club.[4] He died in Eastbourne, E. Sussex.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Who's Who (1975)
  2. ^ Antony Hugill, Sugar and All That: A History of Tate & Lyle (London: Gentry Books, 1978), p.247.
  3. ^ Antony Hugill,Sugar and All That . . ., p.267.
  4. ^ a b c J.A.C. Hugill, "John O. Lyle, an Appreciation", . . .
  5. ^ "Tate & Lyle Celebrates 160 years: A timeline". YouTube.
  6. ^ SUGAR - House of Commons Debate, 24 October 1973, vol 861, cc1276-390, Hansard.
  7. ^ a b Sanders, James (1997). A Struggle for Representation: The international media treatment of South Africa, 1972-1979 (PDF). London: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  8. ^ "An Announcement by Tate & Lyle Limited", Daily Express, 14 December 1977.
  9. ^ "What to Know About Sucralose".
  10. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About Sucralose". Sucralose. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  11. ^ Gratzer W (28 November 2002). "5. Light on sweetness: the discovery of aspartame". Eurekas and Euphorias: The Oxford Book of Scientific Anecdotes. Oxford University Press. pp. 32–. Bibcode:2002eueu.book.....G. ISBN 978-0-19-280403-7. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  12. ^ Cope, Nigel (19 April 2000). "Not such sweet success". Independent. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Love Lane Lives - the boys & girls from the white stuff".[unreliable source?]
  14. ^ "Margaret Thatcher Engagement Diary - Wed 17 October 1984".
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