Sir Jules Thorn (7 February 1899 – 12 December 1980) was the founder of
Thorn Electrical Industries
Thorn Electrical Industries Limited was a British electrical engineering company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange, but merged with EMI Group to form Thorn EMI in 1979. It was de-merged in 1996 and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 In ...
, one of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
's largest electrical businesses.
Career
Born in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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to Jewish parents Leibisch Thorn and Teme Thorn (née Finkelstein), Julius (later known as Jules) Thorn was
conscript
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
ed into the
Austrian Army
The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria.
The military consists of 22,050 active-duty personnel and 125,600 reservists. The military budget is 0.74% of natio ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
[Jules Thorn at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]
/ref> After the War he studied at the ''Handelshochschule'' (Business School) in Vienna
en, Viennese
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.[
In 1923 Thorn moved to the ]United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
as representative for Olso, an Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n manufacturer of gas mantles.[ In 1926 Olso went bankrupt and Thorn chose to set up business on his own trading as the ''Electric Lamp Service Company''.][ In 1936 he diversified into manufacturing and expanded the company into one of the largest electrical businesses in the country, ]Thorn Electrical Industries
Thorn Electrical Industries Limited was a British electrical engineering company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange, but merged with EMI Group to form Thorn EMI in 1979. It was de-merged in 1996 and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 In ...
.[ He was knighted in 1964.
In 1970 Thorn retired from full-time involvement in the business to devote himself to his racehorses and his collection of Impressionist paintings. He was a successful racehorse owner and won the ]2,000 Guineas Stakes
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...
at Newmarket with High Top
The high-top is a shoe that extends slightly over the wearer's ankle. It is commonly an athletic shoe, particularly for basketball. It is sometimes confused with the slightly shorter mid-top, which typically extends no higher than the wearer's a ...
in 1972. Only in 1976 did he retire as Chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
of the business.[ Sir Jules was a noted philanthropist supporting many medical, educational, artistic and humanitarian charities and endeavours. A large number of legal and medical scholarships as well as museums carry his name.
Thorn died in ]Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
on 12 December 1980,[ not long after seeing his company's successful takeover of its long-time rival ]EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
. His work and vision is continued through the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust, chaired until recently by his daughter Ann Rylands.Jules Thorn Charitable Trust
/ref>
Family
In 1928 he married Dorothy Olive Tanner and together they went on to have one son and one daughter.[ He married a second time, to Jean Norfolk, in 1971.][
]
References
1899 births
1980 deaths
20th-century British businesspeople
British Jews
British racehorse owners and breeders
Knights Bachelor
Austrian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
20th-century British philanthropists
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