Joseph Herbert Tritton (a.k.a. J. Herbert Tritton) (1844–1923) was an English banker.

Early life

Joseph Herbert Tritton was born on 5 September 1844 at Olney Lodge, in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

, then in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

(now London).Jessie Campbell
Tritton, Joseph Herbert (1844-1923), banker
, ''Oxford Index'', September 2004 His father, Joseph Tritton (1819–1887), was a Quaker banker. His mother was Amelia Hanson, the daughter of Joseph Hanson of

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

. He was educated at

Windlesham House School Windlesham House School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 13 on the South Downs, in Pulborough, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory sc ...

and

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

. He then went to work for the bank Barclay, Bevan, Tritton & Co., where his father was a partner. After some time he chose to make a trip abroad instead of going to university.

Career

After working for five years, Tritton became a partner in Barclay, Bevan, Tritton & Co. When it became known as

Barclays Bank Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services ...

, he served on its board of directors, retiring as a director in 1918. Tritton was a co-founder of the

Institute of Bankers Walbrook Institute London is a for-profit provider of apprenticeships, degrees and professional qualifications, with students being members of the LIBF professional body. It is one of five bodies in the UK accredited by the Financial Conduct Auth ...

and served as its President twice. The institute worked in educating bankers and standardizing their way of working. Tritton also served on the Council of Foreign Bondholders and was the honorary secretary of the London Clearing Bankers. Tritton was involved in founding the

London Chamber of Commerce The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is a business organization based in London, founded in 1882. It provides support for its members’ businesses through services and advocates on behalf of London’s business community. The Cham ...

in 1882. He also became its president. Tritton served as the Chairman of the Indo-European Telegraph Company (now

Siemens Communications Siemens Communications was the communications and information business arm of German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG, until 2006. It was the largest division of Siemens, and had two business units – Mobile Networks and Fixed Networks; and E ...

). Triton was also chairman of the

General Steam Navigation Company The General Steam Navigation Company (GSN), incorporated in 1824, was London's foremost short sea shipping line for almost 150 years. It was the oldest shipping company in the world to begin business with seagoing steam vessels. Foundation ...

(GSN). He was elected at age 30 in 1874, with little experience of the shipping business. He began his chairmanship with bold moves to double the company's capital, and to modernize its fleet. His chairmanship ended with his forced resignation after the company had come close to financial collapse in 1892. His successor Richard White was a successful entrepreneur. In Tritton's obituary, his chairmanship of GSN was not mentioned.

Honours

Tritton was elected as a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

in 1890. He was a recipient of the

Order of the Lion and the Sun The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun (Persian language, Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar, Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extend ...

Personal life

On 17 June 1867, he married Lucy Jane Smith, the daughter of Henry Abel Smith (1826–1890) of Wilford, Nottingham, a banker with interests in Lincoln and Nottingham. They had five sons, including the banker Herbert Leslie Melville Tritton, and four daughters.

Family history

J. Herbert Tritton's family history ''Tritton: the Place and the Family'' (with an elaborate pedigree) was published in 1907.

Death

Tritton died at his home, Lyons Hall, in

Great Leighs Great Leighs is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Great and Little Leighs, in the Chelmsford district of Essex, England, halfway between Chelmsford itself and Braintree. In 1931 the parish had a population of 728. Histor ...

, Essex on 11 September 1923.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tritton, Joseph Herbert 1844 births 1923 deaths English bankers British corporate directors Barclays people Joseph Herbert People from Battersea People educated at Rugby School People from Great Leighs People educated at Windlesham House School