Joseph Rowntree
 Joseph Rowntree     (businessman, philanthropist) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 24 May 1836 |
| Died | 24 February 1925 (Age 88) |
| Religion | Quaker |
| Interests | education |
English Quaker philanthropist and businessman known for being a champion of social reform. Founder of Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. | |
Joseph Rowntree was an English Quaker philanthropist and businessman from York. Rowntree is perhaps best known for being a champion of social reform, partner and friend of Charles Booth, and his time as a chocolatier at family business Rowntree's, one of the most important in Britain. Even as a powerful businessman, he was deeply interested in improving the quality of life of his employees; this led to him becoming a philanthropist, pursuing many charitable causes.
In 1904 he created three trusts, including the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT), supporting work undertaken in the UK and Ireland.
Early life
Rowntree was born the son of Sarah and Joseph Rowntree, on Pavement (the name of a street) in York where his father owned a grocer's shop.[1] He attended Bootham School.[2] At fourteen he accompanied his father on a visit to Ireland, and witnessed the effects of the Great Famine.[3] This experience was to provide the grounding for his political views and business ideas later in life.
Career
He started working in his father's grocery business as an apprentice the following year, and after his father's death in 1859 he took over the running, jointly managing the business with his brother John Stephenson Rowntree.
In 1869 he joined his brother, Henry Isaac Rowntree, who owned a chocolate factory in York. When Henry Isaac died in 1883, Joseph became the owner of the company. Joseph pursued his progressive ideas within the running of Rowntree's, in the design of the new factory opened in 1881, and in the business practices followed therein, including the founding of one of the first Occupational Pension Schemes.[3]
The company, Rowntree's, grew from 30 to over 4,000 employees by the end of the 19th century making it Britain's eightieth largest manufacturing employer.[4] It merged with John Mackintosh and Co. in 1969 and was taken over by Nestlé in 1988.
He had two marriages, to Julia Eliza Seebohm in 1862 who died in 1863, and then to her cousin Emma Antoinette Seebohm in 1867 with whom he had six children.[4] The social investigator Seebohm Rowntree was one of their children.
Philosophical and political views: Joseph Rowntree was a supporter of liberal values, and was anxious to improve the quality of life of his employees. He provided them with a library, free education, a works magazine, a social welfare officer, a doctor, a dentist and a pension fund.
References
- ↑ Anne Vernon (2005). Quaker Business Man: The Life of Joseph Rowntree. Taylor & Francis. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-415-38160-4.
- ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography[dead link]
- ↑ a b Joseph Rowntree Biography Archived 29 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine. – The Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2004
- ↑ a b Joseph Rowntree Biography – Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
This page imported content from Wikipedia on 02.02.2024.Wikipedia is not affiliated with Wikispooks. Original page source here
