Lelan Sillin Jr.

Lelan F. Sillin Jr. was an American utility executive and an early champion of nuclear power, born in Tampa, Florida, in 1918 and living until 1997. Trained as an attorney at the University of Michigan, he rose from general counsel to president and chief executive of Central Hudson Gas and Electric, then led Northeast Utilities, Connecticut's largest public utility, as chairman and chief executive from 1970 to 1983. He saw nuclear power as the least expensive, most efficient and cleanest option for New England, and under him Northeast became the most nuclear-powered utility in the nation, although he described himself as an energy pragmatist rather than a nuclear proponent. He chaired the 1986 Sillin Report, which criticised utilities that merely met regulatory requirements instead of striving for excellence.