John H. Loudon; Chief of Oil Firm

John H. Loudon, 90, head of the mammoth Anglo-Dutch oil company Royal Dutch/Shell Group for 14 years. Known as “the grand old man of Shell,” Loudon was director general of the firm from 1951 until 1965 and won international admiration for steering Shell through the turbulent problems in the Middle East caused by the 1956 closing of the Suez Canal. He initiated executive training programs for local staff, retaining Shell’s influence despite growing nationalism. The son of a former Shell board president, Loudon earned a law degree, then joined the company in 1930 working on oil rigs in Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. As he rose in the company, he was instrumental in rebuilding its operations afterWorld War II. Loudon earned honors from the Netherlands and was an honorary knight of the Order of the British Empire. On Feb. 4 in Haarlem, Netherlands, of respiratory failure.