Person    | Male  Born 22/9/1885  Died 21/2/1963

John Spedan Lewis

Categories: Benefactor, Commerce

Retailer and industrial reformer. Born in Marylebone, the son of John Lewis. His second name was derived by reversing the names of Ann Speed, the maiden aunt who raised his father. He was given control of the Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square, Chelsea and when he realised that he, his father and younger brother were taking the same amount from the business as all its employees earned, the idea of a profit sharing scheme was formed. Trust Settlements were signed in 1929 and 1950 which transferred the ownership of the business to all its employees. Died at The Burrow, Longstock Park, Hampshire.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
John Spedan Lewis

Commemorated ati

John Lewis and John Spedan Lewis

John Lewis silk mercer of Oxford Street resided at Spedan Tower, Hampstead fr...

Read More

Other Subjects

Harriet Mary Margaret Hall (née Knipe)

Harriet Mary Margaret Hall (née Knipe)

Eldest daughter of Edward Knipe, of Water Newton, Huntingdonshire.  Married Newman Hall (as his second wife) on 29 March 1880, with no issue.

Person, Benefactor, Friend / family

1 memorial
Marmaduke Langdale

Marmaduke Langdale

Active in 1859. Via JudyGr we found "1794: Langdale Marmaduke & Thomas, Distillers, 26, Holborn", mentioned in Dickens' 'Barnaby Rudge'. A connection seems very likely. 2018: The British Museu...

Person, Benefactor, Commerce

1 memorial
Eva Strasburger

Eva Strasburger

Daughter to Christopher and Irene Turner which explains her being born Tanzania and brought up in other exotic places. She co-founded a publishing company with Roy Strasburger in Southern England b...

Group, Benefactor, Politics & Administration, Africa, USA

1 memorial
John Gordon Crawford

John Gordon Crawford

A wealthy, early member of the Burns Club of London (founded 1868). Undiscovered Dundee by Brian King informs: "... retired Glasgow merchant, who had lived in London for many years, had met the cos...

Person, Benefactor, Commerce

1 memorial
Frederick Horniman

Frederick Horniman

Tea merchant, benefactor and politician. Born Frederick John Horniman at Bridgwater, Somerset. He inherited his father's tea business, which by 1891 was described as the biggest tea firm in the wor...

Person, Benefactor, Commerce, Museums / Libraries, Politics & Administration, Race Issues, India, Sri Lanka

3 memorials

Previously viewed

Arthur Cohen

Arthur Cohen

Lawyer. Born in Wyndham Place, Bryanston Square, son of Benjamin Cohen and nephew of Moses Montefiore. Studied maths and became the first practising Jew to graduate from Cambridge. Admitted to Inne...

Person, Law

1 memorial