Sir Alexander Herbert Maguire (18 May 1876 – 20 January 1947), was a British industrialist who made his fortune from
match
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
manufacturing, producing the
Maguire & Patterson brand amongst others.
[Phillumeny.com]
/ref> He played a significant part in the prohibition of poisonous white phosphorus from match manufacturing.
Biography
Maguire was born in 1876, the son of match manufacturer J. T. Maguire of Liverpool. Alexander was educated at Waterloo College in Liverpool.[ In the 1900s Maguire worked on the White Phosphorus Prohibition Act of 1908, for which he was knighted in the ]1917 Birthday Honours
The 1917 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...
. In 1919, with the death of two of his brothers and the retirement of another, he took over the directorship of the company and formed Maguire, Paterson and Palmer.[
]
Horse racing
In 1939, his horse ''Workman'' won the Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...
, coming in at 100/8. It was ridden by Timmy Hyde
Timothy Joseph Hyde (1908–1967) was an Irish National Hunt racing jockey during the 1930s and 1940s.
Hyde began his career in show jumping before becoming an amateur jockey in National Hunt racing. After turning professional he had immediate ...
and trained by Jack Ruttle.
Personal life
In 1902, Maguire married Isabel Mary (''née'' Todd). They had one son and two daughters.Castle Tioram
Castle Tioram () ( gd, Caisteal Tioram, meaning "dry castle") is a ruined castle that sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is located west of Acharacle, approximately from Fort William. Thou ...
, on the island of Eilean Tioram, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.Moidart.org
/ref>
His niece Isobel Maguire married Brigadier George Taylor CBE, DSO & Bar.
Alcoholism and death
In 1945, Maguire stayed in Upper Carlisle Road, Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
. There he was treated by society doctor John Bodkin Adams
John Bodkin Adams (21 January 18994 July 1983) was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster, and suspected serial killer. Between 1946 and 1956, 163 of his patients died while in comas, which was deemed to be worthy of i ...
, the suspected serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
.[Cullen, Pamela V., ''A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams'', London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006, . Page 200] According to Olwen Williams, Maguire's nurse, Adams plied the patient with whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...
despite him being "an inebriate". Maguire soon moved back to London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where he died 18 months later from "chronic alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
".[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maguire, Alexander
1876 births
1947 deaths
English industrialists
Businesspeople from Liverpool
Knights Bachelor