Tommy Hudson OBE, 1932-2024

A stalwart of the Anglo-Argentine community, Tomás Neville Hudson died on June 4 in his 92nd year after a successful business career spanning almost four decades followed by an active retirement as a prolific local historian alongside his contributions to community institutions.

Born in 1932, his primary education was at Westminster College in Olivos (1939- 44), his secondary at St. George's College, Quilmes (1945-50) and his university at Queens' College, Cambridge (1951-54), from where he graduated with a BA and MA (Hons) in Economics and where he was a “gaucho” student who rowed for his college.

Although his business career will be forever linked to Duperial (ICI), its baby steps were actually in advertising – Young & Rubicam, London (1954) and McCann Erickson, Buenos Aires (1955). But thereafter it was all the chemical giant through to 1992 with the Duperial chairmanship in the final decade with the only exception two years as a youthful Managing Director of India Rubber (Alpargatas) on both sides of the Atlantic (1962-64) – this period included two stints abroad with ICI Americas in Connecticut (1969-71) and as General Manager of ICI Mexico (1978-81). In the last year of his business career he was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II (1992).

Serving on the boards of directors and as consultant to many companies, his intense light blue loyalties (which flared up annually with the Varsity Boat Race) did not prevent him from attending to the other Cambridge as a founding member of the Harvard Club of Argentina – earlier in 1971 he had attended an Advanced Management Program at that university’s Business School.

In his retirement he dedicated to researching and writing books about the British military leaders – including General William Miller, who began his military career in by burning the White House in 1814, and Admirals William Brown and Martin Guise, among others – in books reviewed in the Buenos Aires Herald, earning himself a fellowship in the Instituto Sanmartiniano and lecturing widely on them both here and in Britain.

In retirement he continued to make important contributions to such community institutions as the British Hospital and his alma mater St. George’s School. Hudson was also a most accomplished polo player, yachtsman and tennis player although his biggest passion was always rowing.

But over and above his accomplishments, he was a true gentleman who now joins his beloved and long-suffering invalid wife Jill.