Richard Blechynden (5 May 1857 – 26 July 1940) was a British tea merchant and government official who is credited with popularizing

iced tea Iced tea (or ice tea) is a form of cold tea. Though it is usually served in a glass with ice, it can refer to any tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar or syrup. Iced tea is also a popular packaged drink that can be ...

. Blechynden promoted iced tea at the

1904 World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

in St. Louis, Missouri, after which the drink attained nationwide recognition in the United States.

Biography

Blechyden was born in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, the son of Charles Edward Blechynden and Anne Margaret Pratt. He was a merchant and tea plantation owner who served in various marketing roles to promote Indian teas on behalf of the government and trade associations. One type of beverage, iced tea, had long been customary in the American South but was not widely known in other parts of the United States. The drink gradually grew in popularity in the late 19th-century, with one of the first recipes for iced tea being published in Virginia in 1878. In 1904, Blechynden reportedly decided that a cool tea drink would be more profitable than hot tea during that year's

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

. The fair was held in St. Louis that year during a particularly hot period, driving up sales of Blechynden's iced tea. The beverage sold so well that it gain national popularity after the event. Another telling of Blechynden's story holds that his marketing of iced tea was an act of "desperation". In this telling of iced tea's origin, Blechynden had originally been selling hot tea, but found that fairgoers weren't interested in near-boiling tea in the intense St. Louis heat. It is unknown if he had previously heard of iced tea, but it is certain that his decision to begin selling chilled tea was widely popular at the fair and had a lasting impact. He retired to

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

and lived there for 25 years. He died there unmarried in 26 July 1940, aged 83.''1939 England and Wales Register''''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1973-1995''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blechynden, Richard 1857 births 1940 deaths British merchants People from Ryde British people in colonial India