Alfred Booth and Company
Encyclopedia
Alfred Booth and Company was founded in 1863 by Alfred Booth and his more famous brother, the English
philanthropist and poverty reformer, Charles Booth
and grew from being a small merchant house into a large international concern.
and New York
. The reason this trade was chosen was that the staple trades of Liverpool (e.g. cotton
) were already dominated by well established firms. The opportunity for a newcomer was to profit form earnings in a specialised trade. In addition as America was expanding economically due to a rapidly growing population created demand for raw materials which could not be obtained from home-grown sources.
Contracts for the first two ships of The Booth Steamship Company (established in 1881) were placed in February 1865. The value of the ships was divided into sixty-four parts and Alfred Booth and Company as the managing owners took up as many as its resources would allow. The remainder was largely subscribed to by family and relatives. The steamship service operated to North Brazil
ian ports and they exported sheepskins, tanned and untanned to the United States. On the retirement of Robert Singlehurst the Red Cross Iquitos Steamship Co. was amalgamated with the Booth Steamship Company.
In 1914 the fleet comprised over 30 steamers
however many of these were sunk during the First World War so that by 1919 there were only 18 ships left. The last chairman of the company was Richard Amis CBE
a grandson of Sir Alfred Booth, 1st Bt
, on whose watch the business was finally sold in 1986. Sir Alfred, who served as chairman of Cunard
, was a younger brother of Charles, mentioned below. The shipping business was sold in 1946 to Lord Vestey.
Alfred Booth & Company had diversified into civil engineering
and in 1919, it acquired The Unit Construction Company from Crittalls. Alfred Booth's baronetcy was succeeded in 1948 by his eldest son, Philip Booth, and in 1960 by Philip's eldest son, Sir
Douglas Booth, a screenwriter living in New York City. Today, in 2009, the heir presumptive
to the baronetcy, Derek Booth
, is a leading academic in the water resources world.
In 1964 after a family split the leather business was established separately as Booth and Company (International) Ltd. It became a public company in 1974 and was sold to Garnar-Scotblair in 1981. John Sebastian Macaulay Booth was the Managing Director during this period. He was the grandson of Charles Booth who died on 23 November 1916.
In 1912, Charles Booth relinquished the chairmanship to his nephew, Charles Booth (b.1868 d.1938) but he later returned to work for the company in 1915.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
philanthropist and poverty reformer, Charles Booth
Charles Booth (philanthropist)
Charles Booth was an English philanthropist and social researcher. He is most famed for his innovative work on documenting working class life in London at the end of the 19th century, work that along with that of Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree influenced government intervention against poverty in the...
and grew from being a small merchant house into a large international concern.
History
The merchant house was established primarily for the importing of English light leathers into the USA, and had offices in both LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The reason this trade was chosen was that the staple trades of Liverpool (e.g. cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
) were already dominated by well established firms. The opportunity for a newcomer was to profit form earnings in a specialised trade. In addition as America was expanding economically due to a rapidly growing population created demand for raw materials which could not be obtained from home-grown sources.
Contracts for the first two ships of The Booth Steamship Company (established in 1881) were placed in February 1865. The value of the ships was divided into sixty-four parts and Alfred Booth and Company as the managing owners took up as many as its resources would allow. The remainder was largely subscribed to by family and relatives. The steamship service operated to North Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian ports and they exported sheepskins, tanned and untanned to the United States. On the retirement of Robert Singlehurst the Red Cross Iquitos Steamship Co. was amalgamated with the Booth Steamship Company.
In 1914 the fleet comprised over 30 steamers
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
however many of these were sunk during the First World War so that by 1919 there were only 18 ships left. The last chairman of the company was Richard Amis CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
a grandson of Sir Alfred Booth, 1st Bt
Booth Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Booth, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2010...
, on whose watch the business was finally sold in 1986. Sir Alfred, who served as chairman of Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
, was a younger brother of Charles, mentioned below. The shipping business was sold in 1946 to Lord Vestey.
Alfred Booth & Company had diversified into civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and in 1919, it acquired The Unit Construction Company from Crittalls. Alfred Booth's baronetcy was succeeded in 1948 by his eldest son, Philip Booth, and in 1960 by Philip's eldest son, Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Douglas Booth, a screenwriter living in New York City. Today, in 2009, the heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the baronetcy, Derek Booth
Derek Booth
Derek Booth is a former professional ice hockey player and coach, and a former professional roller hockey player. After retiring as a player, Booth went on to become the head coach of the Fayetteville FireAntz in the SPHL, the Bloomington PrairieThunder in the UHL and the Bloomington...
, is a leading academic in the water resources world.
In 1964 after a family split the leather business was established separately as Booth and Company (International) Ltd. It became a public company in 1974 and was sold to Garnar-Scotblair in 1981. John Sebastian Macaulay Booth was the Managing Director during this period. He was the grandson of Charles Booth who died on 23 November 1916.
In 1912, Charles Booth relinquished the chairmanship to his nephew, Charles Booth (b.1868 d.1938) but he later returned to work for the company in 1915.
External links
- A LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
Merchant House: Being the History of Alfred Booth and Company 1863-1958 by A. H. John - Senior Management Biographies - Dr Derek Booth
- http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-0117(1960)2%3A12%3A3%3C474%3AALMHBT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L
- www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk