John Garlick Llewellyn Poulson (April 14, 1910 - January 31, 1993) was a British architect who caused a major political scandal when his use of bribery and connections to senior politicians were disclosed in 1972. The most high-ranking figure to be forced out was Conservative Home Secretary Reginald Maudling. Poulson served a jail sentence, but continued to protest his innocence. April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... -1... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... Bribery is a crime defined by Blacks Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions as an official or other person in discharge of a public or legal duty. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the right-of-centre in the United Kingdom. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... Rt. ...

Cover of Poulson's autobiography

Cover of The Price by John Poulson. ... Cover of The Price by John Poulson. ...

Family and early life

Poulson came from a strict Methodist family and inherited a strong faith which stressed the importance of self-help. However, he left school without qualifications and was failing in an architecture course at Leeds College of Art when he dropped out in 1927 to work for a Pontefract architects' practice. Poulson was sacked from this company when it was taken over in 1932, because of his tendency to get the elevations of designs he was working on the wrong way round. The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... Leeds is the urban core of the metropolitan borough and city the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire in the north of England. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Pontefract Castle in its heyday Pontefract (from the Latin for Broken Bridge) is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near the A1 (or Great North Road), the M62 motorway, and Castleford. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ...

Surprisingly Poulson decided to establish his own practice with two 16-year-old assistants, with his forceful father Charles providing funding to help them through the depression. It was usual in architecture at this time for the architects' designs to be valued by a separate company but Poulson offered an all-in-one service with his own valuation estimate, which saved time for developers and ensured that his business grew. He also made contacts with key political figures on local authorities. He became politically involved with the National Liberals, although never let political differences stop him from making friends who were in charge of commissioning public buildings. National Liberal Party was a name used by two groups of politicians, who had formerly been associated with the Liberal Party. ...

Post-war business

Poulson obtained a medical exemption during World War II and used it to increase his business. However he was an uncaring employer who frequently demanded heavy commitment from his staff, and sacked them for trivial offences (such as growing a beard) and often in the run-up to Christmas. He had his own firm build him a house called 'Manasseh', helped by building contractors donating services for free in the hope of getting contracts in the future. The house won the 'Ideal Homes' House of the Year competition in 1958. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II... A man with a full beard A beard is the hair that grows on a mans chin, cheeks, neck, and the area above the upper lip (the opposite is a clean-shaven face). ... Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ), also known as Noël, is a traditional holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus with both religious and secular aspects, commonly observed on 25 December. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Local authorities

Also in 1958 the National Liberal MP Sir Herbert Butcher advised his friend Poulson to set up a servicing company to win business for his architect's practice. Poulson established Ropergate Services Ltd., named after the street in Pontefract where he was based. This company also had the advantage of reducing Poulson's tax liability considerably. The late 1950s saw a building boom as Britain had finally shaken off post-war austerity and many local authorities embarked on major building schemes. Notable among them was Newcastle upon Tyne where dynamic leader T. Dan Smith wanted to set his mark on the city. 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... Thomas Daniel Smith (May 11, 1915 - July 27, 1993) was a British politician who was Leader of Newcastle upon Tyne City Council from 1960 to 1965 and a prominent figure in the Labour Party in the north-east of England, such that he was nicknamed Mr. ...

Smith's desire to redevelop Newcastle attracted the attention of the construction firm Bovis which had worked for Poulson. Bovis' managing director suggested formalising links and in February 1962 Smith was appointed as a consultant to the Poulson organisation. This connection was extremely valuable to Poulson as Smith had a network of contacts among other authorities in the north-east, many of which were also recruited as Poulson consultants. Smith's involvement with the Labour Party reassured many Labour councillors wary of dealing with someone involved in the Conservative-allied National Liberals. Lend Lease Corporation Limited is an Australian-based multinational property management and investment company. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... The Labour Party has since its formation in the early 20th century been the principal left wing political party of the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the right-of-centre in the United Kingdom. ...

Nationalized industries

Cannon Street station, a Poulson building

Poulson was also in a good position to win work for the nationalized industries, partly due to his having offered gifts to many civil servants when they were relatively junior and calling upon them for a return of gratitude years in the future. As an example Poulson had met Graham Tunbridge, a railway employee, during the war. After the nationalization of British Rail Tunbridge became estates surveyor for its Eastern Region and sent Poulson several contracts for modernization of station-master's homes. When Tunbridge became Estates and Rating Surveyor for BR Southern Region, Poulson moved on to contracts at Waterloo station, Cannon Street Station and East Croydon station. In return, Poulson had at first supplied Tunbridge with £25 weekly, and later loaned him a Rover car. Image File history File linksMetadata Cannonstreetpoulson. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Cannonstreetpoulson. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... A 1948 poster showing the main concourse. ... Cannon Street is a National Rail and London Underground station in the City of London financial district of London, England. ... East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon. ...

Another productive contact was Scottish Office civil servant George Pottinger, who in the late 1950s was put in charge of a redevelopment of Aviemore as a winter sports complex. Poulson gave Pottinger gifts worth over £30,000 over six years, and was appointed by Pottinger as architect in charge of the Aviemore project. Pottinger also had a degree of political knowledge and skill which Poulson lacked and drafted political speeches for the architect. // Events and trends This map shows two essential global spheres during the Cold War in 1959. ... Aviemore (Scottish Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr) is a tourist resort in the Highlands of Scotland. ...

Poulson's connections with the National Liberals began to give him political advancement in the early 1960s. He was Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Liberal Council from 1961 and frequently hosted National Liberal events in London at which he met senior government ministers, where Pottinger's speeches were impressive. He also made contact with the Labour MP Albert Roberts, for whom Poulson designed a house (free of charge). Roberts had useful contacts with the Portuguese government and was offered a consultancy by Poulson at £2,500 per annum. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Labour Party has since its formation in the early 20th century been the principal left wing political party of the United Kingdom (see British politics). ...

Overseas work

Poulson was increasingly interested in obtaining commissions outside Britain in the mid-1960s. This required making more contacts. The Conservative MP John Cordle had extensive contacts in West Africa and after helping on several small contracts, in 1965 became a consultant to Poulson at £1,000 per annum. However, Cordle's approaches to governments in Nigeria, The Gambia and Libya proved unfruitful. Cordle unwisely wrote a letter outlining everything he had done for Poulson, which was ultimately to doom his Parliamentary career. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Maudling

Rt. Hon. Reginald Maudling, with whom Poulson had a productive relationship

Another contact was the then Shadow Commonwealth Secretary Reginald Maudling, whom Poulson knew from his National Liberal activities. Maudling was anxious to build up a business career to keep up his income and Poulson needed a big name as Chairman of one of his companies, Construction Promotion. In 1966 Maudling accepted an offer to be Chairman for £5,000 per annum. In addition, Maudling's son Martin, who had left Oxford University without taking a degree, went to work for another Poulson company. Poulson agreed to donate large sums of money to a charity patronised by Maudling's wife. Reginald Maudling, Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1971 This work is copyrighted. ... Reginald Maudling, Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1971 This work is copyrighted. ... Rt. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

In return, Maudling helped to bring pressure on the government of Malta to award the contract for a new hospital on Gozo to Poulson. In Parliament, Maudling vociferously opposed the plans of the Labour government to reduce the amount of defence spending and number of UK troops on Malta. He traded on the goodwill this created to bring extra pressure, and also changed Conservative Party policy so that overseas development assistance to Malta would be 75% grant and 25% loan instead of the even split which the Labour government had introduced. Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to Malta Island. ...

Financial trouble

As part of his attempts to get noticed, Poulson had become a local Commissioner of Taxes. However his own tax payments were seriously in deficit by the mid-1960s, mainly due to his extravagance on consultancies and gifts. In January 1968 the Inland Revenue finally decided to sue Poulson; on November 18, 1968 they obtained judgment in their favour for £211,639. Poulson struggled on but in June 1969 his staff confronted him with the fact that he was approaching bankruptcy. He attempted to recoup cash he had poured into subsidiary companies, which alerted his consultants that all was not well. Maudling and his son quietly resigned in November 1969. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years), with 43 remaining. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

On December 31, 1969 Poulson was formally removed from control of J.G.L. Poulson and Associates. On November 9, 1971 he filed his own bankruptcy petition. The bankruptcy hearings in Spring 1972 were assisted by Poulson's meticulous record-keeping which detailed his payments. It swiftly became apparent that Poulson was at the centre of a massive corruption scandal and in July 1972 the Metropolitan Police began an investigation for fraud. This precipitated the resignation of Reginald Maudling, then Home Secretary and notionally in charge of the police. December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ...

Dénouement

In 1974 Poulson was convicted of fraud and jailed for seven years. Many of his contacts, notably T. Dan Smith and George Pottinger, were similarly convicted and jailed, though not the three MPs: it was found that there was a legal loophole through which Members of Parliament could not be considered as in charge of public funds. The Poulson scandals did much to force the House of Commons to initiate a Register of Members' Interests. A subsequent Select Committee inquiry which reported in 1977 found that all three had indulged in "conduct inconsistent with the standards which the House is entitled to expect from its Members". Cordle was forced to resign although the Commons then voted only to 'take note' of the Committee's report rather than endorsing it. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and is now the dominant branch of Parliament. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...

Poulson was released from jail that same year. His bankruptcy was discharged, with creditors receiving 10p in the pound, in 1980. A condition of the discharge was that half the proceeds of his autobiography would go to his creditors; the resulting book "The Price" gives his side of the corruption scandal and maintains his innocence. Throughout the rest of his life Poulson insisted that he was simply developing advanced public relations and consulting techniques. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... An autobiography (from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write) is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ...

Poulson did not make a notable contribution to architecture. Among other buildings designed by Poulson are Leeds City House (1962) and International Pool (1965-1968), and Forster House, Bradford. Leeds is the urban core of the metropolitan borough and city the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire in the north of England. ... Bradford is the major settlement in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, in the county of West Yorkshire in the north of England. ...

The 1996 BBC television drama serial Our Friends in the North, written by Peter Flannery, contains a character, John Edwards, who is closely based on Poulson, played by Geoffrey Hutchings. One of the reasons the production took so long to reach the screen – Flannery had originally written it for the stage in 1982 – was the fear of the BBC that Poulson and others fictionalised in the drama might take legal action. In the event, the deaths of Poulson and T. Dan Smith in 1993 finally allowed the production to commence. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Cathy Come Home, a 1966 entry into The Wednesday Play anthology series, voted the best drama and second highest programme overall in the British Film Institutes 2000 survey of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes of the 20th century. ... The opening titles sequence of Our Friends in the North. ... Peter Flannery (born October 12, 1951 in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom) is a British playwright and scriptwriter. ... Geoffrey Hutchings (born 1939 in Dorchester, Dorset, United Kingdom) is a British actor from stage, movies and television. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom (see British television). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Books

• Nothing to declare: The Political Corruptions of John Poulson by Michael Gillard (John Calder, London 1980)
• The Price by John Poulson (Michael Joseph, London 1981)
• Web of Corruption: The Full Story of John Poulson and T. Dan Smith by Raymond Fitzwalter and David Taylor (Granada, London 1981)