Harry C. Hatch
Encyclopedia
Harold Clifford "Harry" Hatch (1884-1946) was a self-made millionaire industrialist from Prince Edward County, Ontario
specializing in the business of wine and spirits.
Hatch started out with a small liquor store in Whitby, Ontario
and prospered to the point where he was able to purchase the controlling interest of Gooderham & Worts Ltd. in 1923. Four years later, Hatch acquired Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd.
based in Walkerville, Ontario
, and in 1927 merged the two companies under the parent company of Hiram Walker-Gooderharn & Worts Limited. The company was one of a number of Canadian distillers who prospered by shipping their products into the United States during the Prohibition
era from 1920 to 1933.
In 1935, Harry Hatch oversaw Hiram Walker's acquisition of a 51% controlling interest in the H. Corby Distillery Limited
. The following year he expanded the company's operation with the acquisition of George Ballantine & Son Ltd.
of Glasgow
, Scotland
.
Hiram Walker is best known for marketing top-selling brands such as Canadian Club
whisky and Ballantine's Scotch Whisky.
Hatch was also known for playing a significant role in the pioneering of the Canadian wine
industry, most notably in the Niagara Peninsula
of Southern Ontario, where Hatch became majority owner of T.G. Bright & Co. Limited in 1933. At that time Canadian wineries typically made only ports and sherries, but Hatch pursued the development of a dry table wine and invested company resources into experimenting with different grape varieties not traditionally found in Niagara.
's Rancocas Stable
in Jobstown, New Jersey
. Sweepster became one of the most successful sire
s in Canada, siring King's Plate
winners Monsweep and Goldlure. Harry Hatch became one of the dominant owners and breeders of Thoroughbred
s in Canada during the 1930s and 1940s. Among his many racing successes, in addition to Monsweep and Goldlure, he owned and bred three other King's Plate winners: Budpath
, Acara, and Uttermost
and owned three winners of the Canadian Derby
. In 2000, Hatch was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
as an industry builder.
Harry C. Hatch died in 1946 at the age of 62. He was succeeded in the distilling business and in thoroughbred horse racing by his son, H. Clifford Hatch. Harry Hatch was buried in Deseronto, Ontario
, the town where he attended school and first worked (in his father's hotel).
Prince Edward County, Ontario
Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
specializing in the business of wine and spirits.
Hatch started out with a small liquor store in Whitby, Ontario
Whitby, Ontario
Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region...
and prospered to the point where he was able to purchase the controlling interest of Gooderham & Worts Ltd. in 1923. Four years later, Hatch acquired Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd.
Hiram Walker
Hiram Walker was an American grocer and distiller, and the eponym of the famous distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in the mid-1830s...
based in Walkerville, Ontario
Walkerville, Ontario
The former town of Walkerville Ontario, Canada is now a heritage precinct of Windsor Ontario. Incorporated in 1890, the town was founded by Hiram Walker, owner and producer of Canadian Club Whisky. Walker planned it as a 'model town’ ) that would be the envy of both the region and the continent...
, and in 1927 merged the two companies under the parent company of Hiram Walker-Gooderharn & Worts Limited. The company was one of a number of Canadian distillers who prospered by shipping their products into the United States during the Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
era from 1920 to 1933.
In 1935, Harry Hatch oversaw Hiram Walker's acquisition of a 51% controlling interest in the H. Corby Distillery Limited
Corby Distilleries
Corby Distilleries Limited is an alcohol manufacturing and distribution company in Canada.It was founded in 1859 in Corbyville, Ontario. As of 2008, the company is 46% owned by Pernod Ricard SA. The company distills several Canadian specialities, as well as marketing Pernod Ricard's products in...
. The following year he expanded the company's operation with the acquisition of George Ballantine & Son Ltd.
Ballantine's
Ballantine's is a range of blended scotch whiskies distilled by George Ballantine & Son Ltd in Dumbarton, Scotland.The Ballantine's flavour is dependent on 50 single malts, four single grains and in particular the fingerprint malts from Miltonduff and Glenburgie...
of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Hiram Walker is best known for marketing top-selling brands such as Canadian Club
Canadian Club
Canadian Club is a brand of whisky from Canada. Popularly known as C.C., Canadian Club began production in 1858. It was established by Hiram Walker, and was known as Walker’s Club Whiskey. The brand is now produced by Beam Inc..-History:...
whisky and Ballantine's Scotch Whisky.
Hatch was also known for playing a significant role in the pioneering of the Canadian wine
Canadian wine
Canadian wine is produced in mainly southern British Columbia and southern Ontario. There is also a growing number of small scale producers of grapes and wine in southern Quebec and Nova Scotia. The two largest wine-producing regions in Canada are the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia and the...
industry, most notably in the Niagara Peninsula
Niagara Peninsula
The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Southern Ontario, Canada lying between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the north shore of Lake Erie. It stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario in the west. The population of the peninsula is roughly 1,000,000 people...
of Southern Ontario, where Hatch became majority owner of T.G. Bright & Co. Limited in 1933. At that time Canadian wineries typically made only ports and sherries, but Hatch pursued the development of a dry table wine and invested company resources into experimenting with different grape varieties not traditionally found in Niagara.
Thoroughbred horse racing
In 1927, Harry Hatch bought J.K.L. Ross's stable in Agincourt, Ontario and a year later bought Sweepster from Harry F. SinclairHarry F. Sinclair
Harry Ford Sinclair was an American oil industrialist.-Early life:Harry Sinclair was born in Benwood, West Virginia, now a suburb of the city of Wheeling. Sinclair grew up in Independence, Kansas. The son of a pharmacist, after finishing high school, he entered the pharmacy department of the...
's Rancocas Stable
Rancocas Stable
Rancocas Farm was an American thoroughbred horse racing stud farm and racing stable located on Monmouth Road in Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, Jobstown, New Jersey....
in Jobstown, New Jersey
Jobstown, New Jersey
Jobstown is an unincorporated area within Springfield Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 08041....
. Sweepster became one of the most successful sire
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
s in Canada, siring King's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
winners Monsweep and Goldlure. Harry Hatch became one of the dominant owners and breeders of Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
s in Canada during the 1930s and 1940s. Among his many racing successes, in addition to Monsweep and Goldlure, he owned and bred three other King's Plate winners: Budpath
Budpath
Budpath was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning Canada's most prestigious race, the King's Plate. Owned and bred by distilling magnate and prominent Thoroughbred owner Harry C. Hatch, he was out of the mare Luress...
, Acara, and Uttermost
Uttermost
Uttermost was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1945 won the three races that would later form the official Canadian Triple Crown series.Bred and raced by liquor magnate, Harry C...
and owned three winners of the Canadian Derby
Canadian Derby
The Canadian Derby is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta. A Grade III event held near the end of August, it is open to thee-year-old horses and is raced on dirt over a distance of one and three-eights miles...
. In 2000, Hatch was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
as an industry builder.
Harry C. Hatch died in 1946 at the age of 62. He was succeeded in the distilling business and in thoroughbred horse racing by his son, H. Clifford Hatch. Harry Hatch was buried in Deseronto, Ontario
Deseronto, Ontario
Deseronto is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, in Hastings County, located on the shore of the Bay of Quinte. The town had a population of 1,824 in the Canada 2006 Census.The town was named for Capt...
, the town where he attended school and first worked (in his father's hotel).