John Arnold Fleming (1871 – 22 October 1966) was a Scottish industrial chemist closely associated with the British pottery industry. He was also a noted journalist, author, politician, and philanthropist. He was a keen amateur falconer and golfer. As an author he standardly appears as J. Arnold Fleming. A proficient potter he ran potteries at an industrial level and was long associated with the Britannia Pottery in St Rollox in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, which he owned and controlled following his father’s death, plus other

Staffordshire Potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall, which is now the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. North Staffordshire became a centre of ...

. A substantial part of the ceramics collection within Glasgow Museums was gifted by Fleming.

Life

He was the eldest son of Sir James Fleming of Woodburn House in

Rutherglen Rutherglen (, sco, Ruglen, gd, An Ruadh-Ghleann) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having existed as a Lanarkshire burgh in its own ...

. He was educated at the Albany Academy in

then went to the

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, an ...

, specialising in modelling. He then went to the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

to study chemistry. He met

John Logie Baird John Logie Baird FRSE (; 13 August 188814 June 1946) was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world's first live working television system on 26 January 1926. He went on to invent the first publicly dem ...

early in his life and they were lifelong friends. He donated a statue of Logie Baird to the town of

Helensburgh Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local gove ...

and also created the John Logie Baird Memorial Prize at the local school. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1911. His proposers were James Readman, Robert Tatlock,

John Glaister Professor John Glaister (9 March 1856 – 18 December 1932) was a Scottish forensic scientist who worked as a general practitioner, police surgeon, and as a lecturer at Glasgow Royal Infirmary Medical School and the University of Glasgow. Glasg ...

John James Burnet Sir John James Burnet (31 May 1857 – 2 July 1938) was a Scottish Edwardian architect who was noted for a number of prominent buildings in Glasgow and London. He was the son of the architect John Burnet, and later went into partnership with ...

and Sir Robert Rowand Anderson. In 1922 general election he unsuccessfully stood as the Liberal candidate for the St Rollox constituency in

. In 1923 he sold the Britannia Pottery due to a slump in domestic ceramic sales.Chapter XXIV — Decline of the Glasgow Pottery
Retrieved 1 July 2018. He then became a member both of Helensburgh Town Council and Dunbartonshire County Council. He held the rank of Baillie and donated a set of bells to the town hall clock. In 1965 he is also recorded as having paid a substantial proportion of the cost of the new clubhouse at Helensburgh Golf Club. He died on 22 October 1966 at his home, Locksley on East Abercromby Street in Helensburgh.

Family

In 1914 he married Wilhelmina Reid, daughter of William Brand of Glasgow. They had no children.

Publications

*''Scottish Pottery'' (1923) (reprinted 1973) *''Flemish Influence in Britain'' (1930) *''Modern Glass'' (1931) co-written with Guilluame Janneau *''Scottish and Jacobite Glass'' (1938) *''Living History in Glasgow'' (1942) *''The

Gareloch The Gare Loch or Gareloch ( gd, An Gearr Loch) is an open sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland and bears a similar name to the village of Gairloch in the north west Highlands. The loch is well used for recreational boating, water sports and ...

– Ancient and Modern'' (1947) Scotland *''Huguenot Influence in Scotland (1953)-McLellan *''Helensburgh and the Three Lochs'' (1957) *''Mary Guise'' (1960)

Positions of note

See *President of the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts *Fellow of the Chemical Society of London *Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh *Chairman of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music *Vice President of the Scottish Artists Benevolent Association *Member of UNESCO *British Representative at the Ceramic Museum of Faenza in Italy *Church elder at St Bride’s Church, Helensburgh *Honorary President of the Helensburgh and District Horticultural Association *Co-founder of the Pottery Industrial Council

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, John Arnold 1871 births 1966 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art Scottish chemists Philanthropists from Glasgow Scientists from Glasgow People from Helensburgh British potters