William Albert St John Harmsworth (May 19, 1876 – May 4, 1933) was an English businessman who bought and established the fledgling

Perrier Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier was part of the ...

brand of sparkling

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. Tra ...

in France, designed its distinctive bulbous green bottle, and made it a huge success in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

Early life

Harmsworth was born in May 1876 in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, London, the seventh son of

Alfred Harmsworth Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe (15 July 1865 – 14 August 1922), was a British newspaper and publishing magnate. As owner of the ''Daily Mail'' and the ''Daily Mirror'', he was an early developer of popular journal ...

(1837–1889), a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

, and his wife, Geraldine Mary Maffett. His elder brothers were

Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe (15 July 1865 – 14 August 1922), was a British newspaper and publishing magnate. As owner of the ''Daily Mail'' and the ''Daily Mirror'', he was an early developer of popular journal ...

Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, (26 April 1868 – 26 November 1940) was a leading British newspaper proprietor who owned Associated Newspapers Ltd. He is best known, like his brother Alfred Harmsworth, later Viscount Northcl ...

Cecil Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth LLD (23 September 1869 – 13 August 1948), was a British businessman and Liberal politician. He served as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1915 and as Under-Secretary of Stat ...

Sir Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet (1 November 187019 January 1937) was a British businessman and Liberal politician. Background Harmsworth was the fourth son of Alfred Harmsworth, a barrister, and Geraldine Mary, daughter of William ...

, and

Sir Hildebrand Harmsworth, 1st Baronet Sir Hildebrand Aubrey Harmsworth, 1st Baronet (15 March 1872 – 18 April 1929) was a British newspaper proprietor, twice unsuccessful parliamentary candidate, and member of the Harmsworth publishing family. Early life and family Hildebrand H ...

. He graduated from

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, with a BA and was a director of the

Amalgamated Press The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the ...

(founded by his brother, Alfred). He was a member of the

Sylvan Debating Club The Sylvan Debating Club is a free speech society in which topical issues are discussed. Founded in London in 1868, it meets monthly and employs a traditional motion-based debating format."The Sylvan Debating Club. Mr. Maxse and the Sanctity of C ...

, which was founded by his father.

Career

At the age of 27, when travelling in the south of France, Harmsworth met Dr Louis Perrier, a local doctor, who had bought a spring in 1898 in nearby

Vergèze Vergèze (; oc, Vergesa) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Vergèze-Codognan station has rail connections to Nîmes, Avignon and Montpellier. Located just south-east of the commune is the production facility for Perrier, ...

, and was operating a commercial spa and bottling the water for sale. Perrier was in dire need of investment, and showed Harmsworth the spring, which he then bought into, becoming the sole owner within two years, selling his share in the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'' to raise the funds. He closed the spa and focused on bottling the water, renaming the spring Source

In 1906, he was injured in a motor accident on the Great North Road, near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, when his chauffeur missed the road in the darkness whilst travelling at high speed; Harmsworth was paralysed from the waist down for the rest of his life. He based the shape of the distinctive bulbous green Perrier bottle, which he designed, on the

Indian club Indian clubs, which originated in the Indian subcontinent, are a type of exercise equipment used to present resistance in movement to develop strength and mobility. They consist of juggling club shaped wooden clubs of varying sizes and weights, ...

s that he used for exercise following his accident. The Perrier sparkling mineral water was a great success across the British Empire, and in 1905, Harmsworth received a Royal Warrant. At that time, the water was "better known in London, Delhi and Singapore than in Paris".

Personal life

Harmsworth's house, Les Bouillens, which was next to the Perrier factory, is now a museum about the Perrier brand. He also had houses at 7,

Hyde Park Terrace Hyde Park Gardens, also known as Hyde Park Terrace consists of two roads running adjacent to the north western corner of Hyde Park, Westminster, Greater London. Number 1 Hyde Park Gardens runs up to Number 23 with a large private communal garde ...

, London, and "Pilots Point",

Totland Bay Totland Bay is a bay on the west coast of the Isle of Wight, England. It lies to the west of the village of Totland from which it takes its name. It faces north west and has a shoreline, which has a beach, concrete seawall, groynes and derel ...

, on the

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 ...

."Re William Albert St. John Harmsworth, Deceased."
''The London Gazette'', 2 February 1934, p. 790. Retrieved 11 November 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harmsworth, St John 1876 births 1933 deaths St John Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford People from St John's Wood English people with disabilities English businesspeople