William Day Wills (6 June 1797 – 13 May 1865) of 2 Portland Square, Bristol, England, was a tobacco merchant who in 1830 together with his younger brother Henry Overton Wills II took over W.D. & H.O. Wills, a company which (building on the successful tobacco business established by their father) by the late 1800s had become Britain's largest importer of tobacco and manufacturer of tobacco products.

Origins

William Day Wills was born on 6 June 1797 in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

the elder of the two sons of

Henry Overton Wills I Henry Overton Wills I (2 March 1761 – 1826) was a British merchant who founded the firm of W.D. & H.O. Wills in Bristol, England, which eventually became one of the largest tobacco companies in late 19th-century Britain, and later became the ...

(1761-1826) by his wife Ann Day. In 1786 his Salisbury-born father, with his partner Samuel Watkins, had opened a

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

shop in Bristol, which grew into a successful business.

Career

Business

In 1815 William and his younger brother Henry Overton Wills II (1800-1871) joined their father's firm and in 1826 following their father's death became co-owners of the company. In 1830 the brothers founded W.D. & H.O. Wills, which grew to become the leading importer of tobacco, and manufacturer of tobacco products in late 19th-century Britain. William retired in 1851 from full-time management of the firm and his responsibilities were taken over by his son

William Wills, 1st Baron Winterstoke William Henry Wills, 1st Baron Winterstoke (1 September 1830 – 29 January 1911), known as Sir William Wills, Bt., between 1893 and 1906, was a British businessman, philanthropist and Liberal politician. Seat - Combe Lodge, Blagdon, Somerset. ...

Politics and religion

He made an unsuccessful foray into local politics in 1838 when he ran as 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 ...

candidate for councillor of the Redcliffe ward in Bristol. However, he was successful on his second attempt in 1846, when he was elected councillor for the St Paul's ward of the city, a position which his brother Henry had held previously. He continued until 1861 to represent the St Paul's ward of the city, and served as a Charity Trustee from 1852 until his death. He was a Justice of the Peace at the time of his death. In religion he was an active a supporter of the Congregationalist faith, and he and his brother Henry were founder trustees in 1841 of the

Hanham Hanham is a suburb of Bristol. It is located in the south east of the city. Hanham is in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. It became a civil parish on 1 April 2003. The post code area of Hanham is BS15. The population of this c ...

Chapel and in 1843 of the Barton Hill Chapel, both located in the Bristol suburbs.

Marriage and children

On May 2, 1820 in London he married Mary Steven, third daughter of Robert Steven of Glasgow, Scotland and of Camberwell in Surrey,Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement, ''Wills, William Henry'', by Charles Welc

/ref> by whom he had three children, of whom only one survived: *

(1830-1911), 2nd son and only surviving child, who in 1893 was created a

baronet 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 14t ...

"of Coombe Lodge in the Parish of Blagdon in the County of Somerset" (following which he was known as "Sir William Wills, 1st Baronet") and in 1906 was raised to the peerage as

Baron Winterstoke Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

"of Blagdon in the County of Somerset". In 1901 he became chairman of the

Imperial Tobacco Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mo ...

Company, into which the Wills business had merged, which effectively made him the head of the British tobacco industry.

Death and burial

Like his brother he grew partially deaf in later years and was fatally injured on 11 May 1865 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

having inadvertently stepped in front of a horse-drawn carriage. His left leg was severely crushed and he was rushed to

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...

, where his leg was amputated, but the strain was too much and he died on 13 May 1865 two days later. The following week his body was buried in

Arnos Vale Cemetery Arnos Vale Cemetery () (also written Arno's Vale Cemetery), in Arnos Vale, Bristol, England, was established in 1837. Its first burial was in 1839. The cemetery followed a joint-stock model, funded by shareholders. It was laid out as an Arcadi ...

in Bristol, where several hundred mourners attended his funeral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wills, William Day 1791 births 1865 deaths Businesspeople from Bristol 19th-century British businesspeople