3M CEO Buckley is knighted

George Buckley has been knighted by the queen of England, an honor that involves some unusual compulsory travel plans this summer for the 3M Co. CEO.

Sometime in the next several weeks, Buckley will go to his native England for the investiture, a ceremony that involves kneeling before the queen and getting tapped on the shoulders with a sword.

"My knees aren't as good as they used to be," Buckley said in an interview Monday. "Maybe I'll have to get a shot." He'll also receive a medal with the insignia of his particular honor, knight bachelor.

The distinction for Buckley came as part of the queen's birthday honor list announced late Friday. The list included hundreds of business people, academics, artists and others in public service.

The knight bachelor rank is the most ancient but lowest of the various levels of knighthood. Even so, it's one that's been given to such famous Englishmen as explorer Francis Drake, architect Christopher Wren, painter Joshua Reynolds and mathematician and philosopher Isaac Newton. Those with the rank may use "Sir" before their first names.

Asked if he wants to be called "Sir George," Buckley replied, "I think George would be just fine." He said that when the British Consulate office in Chicago called him six weeks ago to tell him of the honor, he asked: "For what?"

Buckley, who has dual U.S. and British citizenship, was cited for his business accomplishments beyond his work at the Maplewood-based giant. Before joining 3M as chairman and CEO in 2005, he was chairman and CEO of Brunswick Corp., an executive at Emerson Electric Co. and at the British Railways Board.

He also was cited for his support of his alma mater, the University of Huddersfield, near his birthplace in Sheffield. Buckley, 64, has said that education helped him overcome his early life of extreme poverty.

"This really is a great honor, the pinnacle for someone born a commoner," he said of the knighthood.

The Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor website says honorees are "summoned," not invited by the queen to their investiture ceremonies. "Kind of like getting called into the CEO's office," Buckley said.

Staff writer Jim Buchta contributed to this story.

Susan Feyder • 612-673-1723