Jesse Boot, 1st Baron Trent (2 June 1850 – 13 June 1931) transformed The Boots Company, founded by his father, John Boot, into a national retailer, which branded itself as "Chemists to the Nation".

Biography

Jesse Boot sold his controlling interest to American investors in 1920. Boot offered his close friend and business associate John Harston, the opportunity of going into business with him, but Harston declined, feeling the venture was not worth investing in. Boot was a great benefactor to the

City of Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. In 1920, Boot purchased, and presented to the City of Nottingham, 36 acres of open land that lay along the northern side of the Victoria Embankment alongside the River Trent, opposite Plaisaunce, Jesse Boot's summer house which was demolished in 1961. Initially named the 'New Park', it was laid out with grass and trees, and provided a barrier against flooding as well as a pleasant walkway alongside the river. As part of the development an imposing war memorial gateway was built, with the aid of funds from Jesse Boot. He also donated land for the new University College at Highfields, now the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

, which opened in 1928. and was presented with the Freedom of the City of Nottingham in 1920. He was also a significant benefactor to his wife's home,

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

. Boot was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in 1909, 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 ...

in 1917, and announced in the New Year's Honours of 1929 was elevated to the peerage, and created Baron Trent, of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

in the

County of Nottingham A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...

on 18 March 1929. These latter honours probably owed as much to his solid support of the Liberal Party as to his

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

to the city of his birth. Jesse Boot memorial - geograph

He died in

in 1931. The Sir Jesse Boot Chair in Chemistry at the

was named in his honour. His widow commissioned the French glass artist

René Lalique René Jules Lalique (; 6 April 1860 – 1 May 1945) was a French jeweller, medallist, and glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks, and automobile hood ornaments. Life Lalique ...

to refit the church of St Matthew, Millbrook (popularly known as the "Glass Church") as a memorial to him. In 1935 a Primary school was built in Nottingham, Jesse Boot's home town. The School was titled The Jesse Boot Primary School and was located in Bakersfield, Nottingham. The School closed in 2009 after becoming an academy school. There is a pub named after him in the nearby Nottinghamshire town of Beeston, around 1 mile from Highfields Park. His portrait, by

Noel Denholm Davis Noel Denholm Davis (1876–1950) was a British artist, who worked chiefly as a portrait painting, portraitist. He was born in Nottingham, England, in 1876 and studied at Nottingham School of Art, and then the Royal Academy Schools. He spent a ...

, is in the collection of the

. Another, by the same artist, is on loan to the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

Bibliography

*''Jesse Boot of Boots the Chemist: A study in Business History'' by Stanley Chapman (Detail from a copy of the book with black and white plates of Jesse Boot and published by Hodder and Stoughton UK as a special edition for The Boots Company

in 1973 with an .)

Arms

References

External links

Portrait
by

Biography – on Boots corporate website

Boots family philanthropy – on Boots corporate website

Chemists to the Nation – article in Pharmaceutical Journal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trent, Jesse Boot, 1st Baron Trent 1850 births 1931 deaths 1 Jesse British retail company founders Boot, Jesse Boot, Jesse Boot, Jesse People associated with the University of Nottingham People educated at Nottingham High School Businesspeople from Nottingham Barons created by George V Businesspeople awarded knighthoods