John Bamlet Smallman was an Irish-Canadian businessman (9 March 1849 – 14 February 1916).

Biography

A son of James Knight Smallman and Eliza Switzer, John Bamlet Smallman was born in

Clifden Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capi ...

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, Ireland. In the 1850s, the family emigrated to

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximat ...

(then London,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...

, because

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

had not been formed yet) where his father became a commission merchant. From age 14 to 21, Smallman worked as a clerk, saving enough money to form a partnership with his fellow

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

, Lemuel Hill Ingram, a clerk in a local wholesale establishment. They ran a successful business, and in 1882 they were purchasing direct from British suppliers on cash terms. Within ten years trade had increased to $110,000, staff productivity had more than doubled (to $9,200 per clerk), expenses had fallen from 16 to 11 percent of turnover and profits were averaging 10 percent. Smallman and Ingram expanded their business by acquiring new premises in 1892. They purchased adjacent properties and added shoe and toy departments (only to be discarded as insufficiently profitable). Soon an even larger location was secured. By the turn of the century the store employed more than 100 clerks. Smallman bought Ingram's interest at the latter's death in January 1901, bringing his own nephew and two of Ingram's children into the business. It was incorporated in 1908. Smallman suffered a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

and two strokes. He died on 14 February 1916. His obituary stated that he never mixed in politics, was a member of First Methodist Church and supported the Children’s Aid Society and the

Irish Benevolent Society {{Infobox Organization , name = Irish Benevolent Society of London, Ontario , image = , image_border = , size = 280px , caption = , map = , msize = , mcaption = , abbreviation = IBSL , motto = , formation = , extinction = , type = Irish o ...

. The bulk of his shares in his business were bequeathed to the Western University of London, Ontario.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smallman, John Bamlet 1849 births 1916 deaths 19th-century Canadian businesspeople Businesspeople from County Galway Businesspeople from London, Ontario Irish expatriates in Canada 19th-century Irish businesspeople People from Clifden