Sir John Whitaker Fairclough (23 August 1930 – 5 June 2003) was a British computer designer, and later government policy advisor.
[1] John Fairclough was educated at Thirsk Grammar School and then studied electrical engineering at Manchester University, before undertaking national service with the RAF.
[2] In 1954, he joined the Ferranti computer department and in 1957 he moved to IBM, including working in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
During 1986–90, Fairclough was Chief Scientific Adviser for the UK Conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher.
That year, he joined the Board of NM Rothschild and Sons in 1990, becoming Chairman of its venture capital section.