Sir Arthur John Dorman, 1st Baronet, (8 August 1848 – 12 February 1931) was a British industrialist.

Early life

Dorman was born on 8 August 1848, at Ashford, Kent, eldest son of Charles Dorman (1809–1885), of Ashford and

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

, a

currier A currier is a specialist in the leather-processing trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade a ...

in the leather trade, and Emma (died 1914), daughter of Richard Wilson Page.Armorial Families: A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-Armour, sixth edition, A. C. Fox-Davies, T. C. & E. C. Jack, 1910, p. 467A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, and Knightage, 92nd edition, Sir Bernard Burke, Ashworth P. Burke, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1934, p. 797 He was educated at

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

, then situated in

Newgate Newgate was one of the historic seven gates of the London Wall around the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. Newgate lay on the west side of the wall and the road issuing from it headed over the River Fleet to Mid ...

, London.

Career

He was sent, at the age of 22, by his family to work at a

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

ironworks, where a relative was a partner. Dorman started as a puddler and rapidly progressed in his career. In 1875, he went into partnership with Albert de Lande Long to acquire the ''West Marsh'' Ironworks in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

.Arthur John Dorman at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
/ref> During the 1880s, they exploited the new steelmaking technologies being introduced at that time, including the use of

Open hearth furnace An open-hearth furnace or open hearth furnace is any of several kinds of industrial Industrial furnace, furnace in which excess carbon and other impurities are burnt out of pig iron to Steelmaking, produce steel. Because steel is difficult to ma ...

s. Together they built a large industrial concern,

Dorman Long Dorman Long & Co was a UK steel producer, later diversifying into bridge building. The company was once listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by Arthur Dorman and Albert de Lande Long when they acquired '' ...

, which, by 1914, employed 20,000 people and during the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

was a major supplier of shells. He stood for Parliament, only once, as the Conservative candidate for

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, in 1892. He lost the election gaining 4.2% less than his rival, Henry Fell Pease. It was a seat which leaned on all other occasions of that era very strongly to Pease's Liberal party – with strong support to members of the prominent, equally industrialist, Pease family. Dorman was appointed a Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(KBE) in 1918 and created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

Nunthorpe Nunthorpe is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Yorkshire, North Riding. It is near to the villa ...

in the

County of York Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the city of York. The so ...

on 21 July 1923.

Family

In 1873, he married Clara Share (died 1933), daughter of George Lockwood, JP, of

. They had four sons and three daughters. His youngest son, George Lockwood Dorman, was killed in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, and is commemorated in the

Dorman Museum Dorman Museum is a local and social history museum on the town centre side of Albert Park, Linthorpe in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It is one of two museums operated by the local borough council, along with the Captain Cook bir ...

. Sir Arthur Dorman died on 12 February 1931, aged 82, at Grey Towers, his home in

, near Middlesbrough. His title was inherited by his eldest son, Bedford Lockwood Dorman.

References

External links

Picture of Sir Arthur Dorman, 1st Baronet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorman, Arthur John 1848 births 1931 deaths People educated at Christ's Hospital English industrialists Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates People from Ashford, Kent