Lewy Miall Pattinson (10 March 1852January 1944) was an English businessman, who founded the pharmaceutical firm Washington H. Soul Pattinson.

Early life and immigration from England

Lewy Miall Pattinson was born to parents Wiliam Pattinson and Annie Sinclair on 10 March 1852 at Hexham,

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

, England. He had three siblings William, Matthew and Annie. Pattinson married Mary Jane Parker in July 1887 at Tynemouth, England. Pattinson had a background in engineering with the family company Pattinson and Davison, but latter gained exposure to the pharmaceutical industry through his brother William, which led him to explore opportunities in this field in Sydney, Australia which he visited in 1881.

Founder of Washington H. Soul Pattinson

Pattinson returned to Australia for good in 1886 and opened a pharmacy in Balmain known as Pattinson and Co. The firm expanded to include stores in Redfern and North Sydney, and its own in-house manufacturing and distribution facilities. In 1902 Pattinson & Company bought out his competitor W. H. Soul to expand the business further. The firm was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1903 and is Australia's second oldest

public company A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( ...

. Today it is a diversified conglomerate with investments in pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, minerals and financial services. Pitt st mall and center point tower

Death

In 1944 Lewy Pattinson died aged 91. He was succeeded by his four children William, Mary, Jenny-Ann and Lewy-Norman, and 12 grandchildren. Pattinson's son Dr. William Frederick Pattinson succeeded him as Chairman of Washington H. Soul Pattinson. His grandson, Jim Millner and great grandson, Robert Millner, were subsequently chairmen of the company.

Philanthropy

Lewy Pattinson was known for his community and charitable donations. He donated the L. M. Pattinson Aerial Ambulance which was the first aeroplane in the

Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

. The Lewy Miall Pattinson Scholarship was founded in 1943 by a gift of £5000 from Pattinson and supplemented by a bequest of an additional sum of £5000 on his death in January 1944, for the encouragement of the study of pharmaceutical science at

The University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six ...

. There is a street named - Pattinson Crescent - in the suburb of

Flynn, Australian Capital Territory Flynn ( postcode: 2615) is a suburb in the Belconnen district of Canberra, located within the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb is named after John Flynn, who was a Presbyterian minister and missionary who was mainly respons ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pattinson, Lew 1852 births 1944 deaths Australian businesspeople British businesspeople People from Hexham