Sir Henry Jones (19 July 1862 – 29 October 1926)John Reynolds,

, ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', Volume 9, MUP, 1983, pp 513-514. Retrieved 2009-08-19 was an Australian businessman of significance in the development of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

n industry and trade. Jones, born in

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, was the second son of John Jones and his wife Emma, ''née Matheson'' (Mapperson). Educated at a state school, Jones went to work in a

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and entertai ...

factory when he was 12 years old, and began with sticking labels on tins. He was always willing to work overtime, and saved the money he earned as a result of this industriousness. He then became a foreman, and by 1891, when

George Peacock George Peacock FRS (9 April 1791 – 8 November 1858) was an English mathematician and Anglican cleric. He founded what has been called the British algebra of logic. Early life Peacock was born on 9 April 1791 at Thornton Hall, Denton, nea ...

retired from the business, he was able to buy a controlling interest in it, and reconstruct it under the name of H. Jones and Company. The business grew, and in 1898, the works were almost entirely refitted with new machinery and the range of canned goods was increased. Jones began to extend his interest to the timber trade, hop industry, and the export of Tasmanian fruit in addition to his own preserves. Jones created the brand name IXL (an acronym signifying the words "I excel"). In 1903, his was a leading part in the formation of the Tongkah Harbour Tin Dredging Company, which became very successful, and in 1909-10 a number of the mainland factories were amalgamated with his own into the H. Jones Co-operative Company. Branches of his own factory had been formed at

Keswick, South Australia Keswick() is an inner south-western suburb of Adelaide, adjacent to the park lands, and located in the City of West Torrens. The suburb is home to the Keswick Barracks, the headquarters of the Royal District Nursing Service, the Keswick Cricke ...

and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. He visited England in 1911 with his family, and relocated to America in 1914. Some five years later, he established a factory in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, near San Francisco, which was later sold. Jones succeeded in securing steamers to carry Tasmanian fruit to the English market, and though his enterprise suffered occasional losses, he never ceased his efforts to vitalize his state's trade. He was interested in early attempts to form a

wood pulp Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibers from wood, fiber crops, waste paper, or rags. Mixed with water and other chemical or plant-based additives, pulp is the major raw mate ...

industry, and was largely responsible for the erecting of

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

mills in Launceston by Kelsall and Kemp of Rochdale, England. Other interests included an orchard on the east coast of Tasmania worked largely by way of a co-operative system. He had become Tasmania's leading businessman, and continuing to work very hard his health became affected in the last two years of his life. Jones was knighted in the

1919 New Year Honours The 1919 New Year 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 published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Jan ...

. He died suddenly at Melbourne on 29 October 1926. He married Alice Glover in 1883, who survived him, as did their three sons and nine daughters.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Henry 1862 births 1926 deaths People from Hobart Australian company founders Australian Knights Bachelor Colony of Tasmania people