Alfred Dunhill | |
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 Dunhill in 1893 | |
| Born | (1872-09-30)30 September 1872 |
| Died | 2 January 1959(1959-01-02) (aged 86) |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | Alfred Dunhill Limited |
Alfred DunhillFRSA[1] (30 September 1872 – 2 January 1959) was an Englishtobacconist, entrepreneur and inventor. He is the progenitor ofAlfred Dunhill Limited, a London-basedluxury goods firm (owned by Swiss companyRichemont), and theDunhill tobacco products company owned byBritish American Tobacco (now two independently owned entities).
From 1893 Dunhill ran a company selling motoring accessories, and in 1902 opened a shop inMayfair. He developed apipe designed for motorists in 1904. He opened a tobacconist's shop inSt James's in 1907, offering tailored tobacco blends. Shops were opened in New York and Paris during the 1920s. With his international ambitions, Dunhill helped to create the modern luxury goods market. He retired from business in 1929 and married his mistress in 1945, following the death of his wife.
Dunhill was born on 30 September 1872 at 2 Church Path inHornsey,Middlesex.[2] He was the second son of five children of Henry Dunhill (1842–1901), a master blind-maker, and his wife and cousin, Jane, née Styles (1843–1922).[2] His younger brother was the composerThomas Dunhill. His father occupied premises onEuston Road, manufacturing harnesses for horses.[3] Alfred Dunhill was educated atThe Lower School of John Lyon inHarrow on the Hill and by tutors until he was 15, when he was apprenticed to his father's business.[2]
In 1893, Dunhill inherited his father's business and shortly afterwards began to supply accessories for motor cars under the name Dunhill's Motorities (aportmanteau of "motorist" and "priorities").[3][4] He married Alice Stapleton (1874–1945) on 15 June 1895.[3] In 1890 he established the Discount Motor Car Company to sell his accessories throughmail order.[3] In 1902 he opened his first shop in Conduit Street,Mayfair, selling clothing and accessories to chauffeurs and their employers. He entered the pipemaking business in 1904 when he developed a "windshield pipe" to allow motorists to smoke while driving.[5]
In 1907 he opened a small tobacconist's shop on Duke Street in theSt James's area.[6] He offered tobacco blends tailored for the individual customer.[5] In 1908 he introduced the first Dunhill cigarette.[7] The shop rapidly prospered.[8] His granddaughter Mary later described his flair as a salesman and a shopkeeper.[9]
The business expanded, and by 1910 Dunhill had taken additional premises in Duke Street.[2] In 1912 he was joined in the business by his youngest brother, Herbert, and his eldest son, Alfred, followed by his second son, Vernon, in 1913.[5] In 1912 Dunhill introduced the white spot trademark to its pipes.[8] In 1934 he had the shipLady Gay built as a personal motor cruiser; it later participated in theDunkirk evacuation and was preserved until being destroyed by fire in 2021.[10]
The post-war period witnessed both expansion and the commissioning of new products. The company always ensured its products were covered by patent and trade mark, a policy prosecuted with vigour from the outset. The early 1920s saw the wholesale and export side of the business move toNotting Hill Gate, close to the pipe and cigarette division located atCampden Hill Road.[5]
In 1921 the firm received its firstroyal warrant, as tobacconist toEdward, Prince of Wales.[5] Dunhill also suppliedWinston Churchill andSiegfried Sassoon.[11] The 1920s also saw the opening of shops in New York and Paris.[3]Bloomberg Businessweek opined that Dunhill prefigured the modern luxury goods market with its international ambitions.[12] In 1924 the company launched the Uniquelighter, a product that Dunhill and his brother Herbert had much interest in developing, and was the world's first lighter that could be operated with just one hand.[5]
Also in 1924, Dunhill publishedThe Pipe Book, amonograph which detailed the history of the smoking pipe.[13] InThe New York Times review of the book, the anonymous author credited Dunhill with making pipe smoking "a gentlemanly diversion".[14] The book has rarely been out of print since its publication. Dunhill was elected as a fellow of theRoyal Society of Arts in 1925.[15]
Dunhill passed the chairmanship of his company to his son Alfred Henry Dunhill in 1928, taking retirement for health reasons.[16] He left his wife and moved toWorthing to join his long-term mistress, Vera Mildred Wright (1902–1976), who changed her name to his bydeed poll.[5] Dunhill married Wright on 28 March 1945, shortly after the death of his first wife. He died in a nursing home in Worthing on 2 January 1959, and was cremated atGolders Green Crematorium.[5] He left gross assets of £74,117 (equivalent to £2,178,053 in 2023).[17] His second wife survived him.[5]
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