A BUSINESS tycoon whose electronics and telecommunications group employed more than 1,000 Swindon workers has died at the age of 75.

Sir John Clark was chief executive of Plessey for 27 years and steered it through a long-running merger battle with GEC.

Plessey, which owned Garrards and Semiconductors, was finally taken over in 1989 and split up.

His grandfather Byron George Clark, an American, acquired the company after the 1914-18 war when it was best-known as a maker of moving parts for pianos.

He was later succeeded by his son Allen, a former champion amateur boxer who also shot clay pigeons for England.

Allen turned it into one of Europe's best-known manufacturers of radio and later television components.

By the time of Allen's death in 1962 he and his son, Sir John had also taken over Ericsson Telephones and doubled the group's size.

Sir John became president of the Institute of Works Managers and the Engineering Employers' Federation.

He married twice, had five children and lived in Hampshire.

He piloted Plessey's company helicopter himself and when he needed to be at the Swindon plant he drove there in an Aston Martin sports car.