Sir Alfred Chester Beatty died in Monaco on 19 January, 1968. He was 92 years of age.
Sir Chester Beatty was educated at Columbia School of Mines, being awarded the degrees of E.M. and D.Sc. Subsequently, he received that of Hon. LL.D. from the National University of Ireland. Early association with T.A. Rickard, then state geologist in Colorado, U.S.A., involved the examination of numerous mines in North America and Mexico — latterly with John Hays Hammond.
In 1903 he was appointed consulting engineer and assistant general manager of Guggenheim Exploration Co., being closely connected with mining for gold and silver in Mexico and copper in the western United States, and with prospecting concessions in what was then the Belgian Congo. From the negotiations conducted in 1906 with King Leopold II of Belgium resulted the formation of Société Internationale Forestiére et Miniere du Congo (Forminière) — for many years one of the world’s most important diamond-producing companies. (In 1932. recognizing the part he had played in the foundation and organization of that business, King Albert I made him a Commander of the Order of Leopold ll.) In these early years he was particularly concerned in the search for large low-grade copper deposits: from their development arose Utah Copper Co., Nevada Consolidated Copper Co., Ray Consolidated Copper Co. and Chino Copper Co. He was consulting engineer to the first named of these and a director of the others.
In 1913 he disposed of his American mining interests, having decided to settle in the United Kingdom. He adopted British nationality in 1933. Selection Trust was formed in 1914 as a small company with a capital of E50,000, but only after the first world war did Sir Chester Beatty resume his career in developing, financing and administering mining concerns throughout the world. In an astonishingly short period of time the following companies (the best known among many others) were formed: Consolidated African Selection Trust, Ltd.; Cape Coast Exploration. Ltd. (later acquired by De Beers Consolidated Mines. Ltd.); Sierra-Leone Selection Trust. Ltd.; Roan Antelope Copper Mines, Ltd.; Rhodesian Selection Trust, Ltd.; Mufulira Copper Mines, Ltd.; and, in 1951, Chibuluma Mines. Ltd. Concurrently with his activities in Africa he was closely associated with the development of, among others, Tetiuhe mine in Siberia and Trepca Mines. Ltd., in Yugoslavia. In recognition of his services to the Yugoslav nation in developing the country’s mineral resources King Alexander conferred on him the Grand Cordon of the Order of St. Sava.
During the second world war he served on several Government Committees, notably the Non-ferrous Metals Control and the Diamond Dies Control; he was vice-chairman of the officially sponsored United Kingdom Commercial Corporation.
In 1950 he ceased to take an active part in his business interests, retiring to Dublin: his many benefactions are universally known. In 1954 he was knighted for public services and in 1956 was made an honorary Freeman of Dublin; in the following year he was granted a Certificate of Citizenship of Eire.
Sir Chester Beatty was elected to Membership of the Institution in 1932. In 1935 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Institution ‘in recognition of his distinguished services to the mining industry and of his far-sighted vision as a mining engineer in the development of mineral deposits with particular reference to the copper resources of Northern Rhodesia’; a similar citation heralded his election to Honorary Membership of the Institution in 1966.
Robert Annan writes: By the death of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty a few days before his 93rd birthday there passed from the mining profession its greatest character of the present century.
Having outlived most of those who were associated with him in the days of his greatest creative activity, it is fitting that the record of his material success should not obscure the quality of the man. Beatty combined to a marked degree the qualities of foresight, courage and tenacity of purpose. He had the flair for selecting ventures not because they looked good but because he saw that they could be made good by enterprise and by skilled management steadily pursued in the face of all difficulties. These qualities were tested to the full in those ventures which brought him his greatest. Some of these involved support from his own resources in the process. It was confidence in his own judgement and the courage to persist in it which made the difference between success and failure.
A generous and attractive personality, he was an inspiring leader, gifted at conveying his ideas and with a pungent sense of humour used to deflate any kind of pretence.
As an art collector his gifts were equally in evidence — an instinct for quality and for the future trend in interest and taste.
The earliest of his varied collections were on a modest scale and he was fond of expounding his view that the formation of a collection, whatever the object, was not a matter of spending money but of the exercise of judgement and patience, a pursuit which he recommended others to follow within their means.
His early periods of residence in London were made to escape from hay-fever. With his active mind this led inevitably to the opening of a London office and thence to the realization that here was the greatest centre of mining enterprise and finance. From then until his retirement London was his permanent residence and scene of activity.
The standing of the mining industry with the investing public has improved immensely in recent years. For this it owes much to Beatty.
Vol. 77, Trans I.M.M. 1968, p. 57
