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 bec ...
, 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 south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, sixth child of
Isaac Reckitt (1792-1862), miller; and Anne (née Coleby). He attended Ackworth School, near Pontefract, before, in 1848 entering 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 diet ...
and
laundry blue 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
Shoe polish, also known as boot polish and shoeshine, is a waxy paste, cream, or liquid that is used to polish, shine, and waterproof leather shoes or boots to extend the footwear's lifespan and restore its appearance. Shoe polishes are disting ...
es became successful products internationally. In 1888 the company became a private
joint-stock company
A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareho ...
, and in 1899 a
public company
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of share capital, stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter (finance), over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) co ...
, 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, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
, with numerous charitable works in Hull, and in the
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...
.
Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
, 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 greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...
(1908), a 600 home model village built for his workers in Hull which was run as a
non-profit organisation
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
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 town and civil parishes in England, 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, wh ...
, 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 the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
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. For example, while the political systems ...
. 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
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
*
English Quakers
Businesspeople from Kingston upon Hull
English philanthropists
Businesspeople from Nottingham
1833 births
1924 deaths
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Reckitt people
Reckitt family
{{UK-business-bio-1830s-stub