Sir James Reckitt, 1st Baronet (15 November 1833 – 18 March 1924) was a founder of the household products company

Reckitt and Sons Reckitt and Sons was a leading British manufacturer of household products, notably starch, black lead, laundry blue, and household polish, and based in Kingston upon Hull. Isaac Reckitt began business in Hull in 1840, and his business becam ...

, developed from his father

Isaac Reckitt Isaac Reckitt (1792–1862) was the founder of Reckitt and Sons, a business that emerged to become Reckitt, one of the United Kingdom's largest consumer goods businesses. Career Initially establishing a milling business in Boston with his older ...

's starch and laundry blue business.

Biography

James Reckitt was born 15 November 1833 in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, sixth child of Isaac Reckitt (1792-1862), miller; and Anne (née Coleby). In 1848 he entered his father's

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...

and

laundry blue Bluing, laundry blue, dolly blue or washing blue is a household product used to improve the appearance of textiles, especially white fabrics. Used during laundering, it adds a trace of blue dye (often synthetic ultramarine, sometimes Prussian bl ...

business as a travelling salesman. In 1865 he married Kathleen (née Saunders) by whom he had two sons. After his father's death in 1862, James and his two brothers continued their father's business; the firm was incorporated as Reckitt & Sons Ltd. in 1879. The company grew, using heavy advertising and marketing as one means of promotion, and its starch, blue and

boot polish A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is cle ...

es became successful products internationally. In 1888 the company became a private

joint-stock company A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's capital stock, stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their share (finance), shares (certificates ...

, and in 1899 a

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 (l ...

, with a value of £1.7 million. Reckitt was an active

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, with numerous charitable works in Hull, and in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

, paras.4–5 Amongst his work was the

Garden Village The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with Green belt, greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, i ...

(1908), a 600 home model village built for his workers in Hull which was run as a

non-profit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

during his lifetime; the James Reckitt Public Library in Hull (1889) which he established and endowed; he also financed the building of a hospital in

Withernsea Withernsea is a seaside resort and civil parish in Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Its white inland lighthouse, rising around above Hull Road, now houses a museum to 1950s actress Kay Kendall, who was born in the town. The Pr ...

, and contributed to the Newland Homes for Seamen's orphans home, and was active in the early promotion of the Hull Royal Infirmary. During World War I, he hosted a

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

hospital at the Reckitt & Sons factory and housed Belgian refugees at his home. He established the Sir James Reckitt Charity (1921) which supports charitable and

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

organisations. As a pastime he was a collector of art. Reckitt was active in local politics, with roles including JP, County Councillor, Deputy Lieutenant (of the East Riding); he was a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. In 1894 he was awarded a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in recognition of his public and political service. He died at Swanland Manor on 18 March 1924.

References

Sources

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External links

* British Quakers Businesspeople from Kingston upon Hull English philanthropists People from Nottingham 1833 births 1924 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Reckitt people Reckitt family {{UK-business-bio-1830s-stub

Biography

References

Sources

Further reading

External links