Henry Solomon Wellcome
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Henry Solomon Wellcome

Anglo-American businessman (1853–1936)

Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (21 August 1853 – 25 July 1936) was an American and British pharmaceutical entrepreneur. He founded the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Company with his colleague Silas Burroughs in 1880, which is one of the four large companies to eventually merge to form GlaxoSmithKline.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Solomon Wellcome (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Aug 21, 1853, died Jul 25, 1936.1

About

He left a large amount of capital for charitable work in his will, which was used to form the Wellcome Trust, one of the world's largest medical charities. He was a keen collector of medical artefacts which are now managed by the Science Museum, London, and a small selection of which are displayed at the Wellcome Collection.

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Solomon Wellcome, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedUniversity of the Sciences in Philadelphia3

Career

Occupation: businessperson, physician.9

  • Date not recordedFounded Burroughs Wellcome & Company4
  • Date not recordedFounded Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research5
  • Date not recordedFounded Wellcome Trust6
  • Date not recordedFounded Wellcome Collection7
  • Date not recordedFounded Wellcome Library8

Pharmaceutical executive

In 1880, Wellcome established a pharmaceutical company, Burroughs Wellcome & Company, with his colleague Silas Mainville Burroughs. They introduced the selling of medicine in tablet form to England under the 1884 trademark "Tabloid". Previously, medicines had been sold mostly as powders or liquids. Burroughs and Wellcome also introduced direct marketing to doctors, giving them free samples. In 1895, Burroughs died, aged 48, leaving the company in the hands of Wellcome. It flourished and Wellcome set up several related research laboratories. In 1924, Wellcome consolidated all his commercial and non-commercial activities in one holding company, The Wellcome Foundation Ltd.

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Solomon Wellcome (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

  • BornAug 21, 1853, Almond10
  • DiedJul 25, 1936, London11
  • CitizenshipUnited Kingdom, United States12
  • SpouseSyrie Maugham 1901 to 190913

In 1901, Wellcome married Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo, a daughter of orphanage founder Thomas John Barnardo who was 26 years his junior. They had one child, Henry Mounteney Wellcome, born 1903, who was sent to foster parents at the age of about three. He was considered to be sickly at the time, and his parents were spending much time travelling. The marriage was not happy, and in 1909 the couple separated. After that Syrie (as she was known) had several affairs, including with the department store magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge, and the author William Somerset Maugham with whom she had a child (Mary Elizabeth) and later married. Wellcome sued for divorce in 1915, naming Maugham as co-respondent. The suit attracted large amounts of publicity that he had previously tried to avoid. Syrie never contested Henry's custody of their child, Henry and went on to have a successful international career as an interior designer.

In 1910, Wellcome became a British subject. In 1928, he was made an Honorary Vice-President of the Society for Nautical Research. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1932 Birthday Honours. In 1932, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He died of pneumonia in The London Clinic in 1936, aged 82, after an operation. On his death, the Wellcome Trust was established.

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Solomon Wellcome (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

  • 1932Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons14
  • Date not recordedKnight Bachelor14

Sources

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