Jim Slater has died, aged 86. I revelled in his friendship.
A few years ago, the BBC featured a rather lurid documentary claiming that a number of financiers regularly gathered at The Clermont Club in a private dining room to organise the finances of British industry and commerce to suit themselves. This was nonsense as far as Jim was concerned since he eschewed any suggestion of conspiracy.
But there was a phase in the late sixties when seemingly every deal was promoted or consummated by Slater Walker – indeed, if memory swerves me right, the day came when no less than three takeover deals emerged on the same day.
Jim was never a slouch in developing and promoting the momentum of the team he had gathered together. This of course had the effect of causing a very high morale which led to even further success for Slater Walker.
He was an exceptional judge of the state of play. As I found to my cost in that having thought through the evidence for a sportsbook proposition he gently offered me the opportunity to accommodate him. A thick five figure sum later I came to know better.
Leaving aside his huge and ultimately persistent success in the stock market he was entirely dedicated to his family. He described his wife, Helen, as a strong long term hold and was hugely and rightly proud of their four children and, of course, the ensuing grandchildren.