Joseph Rank (28 March 1854 – 13 November 1943) was the founder of Joseph Rank Limited, once one of Britain's largest flour milling and bakery companies. He built his company into a leader in all aspects of the industry including the operation of Flour Mills, Bakeries and Retail outlets. After Rank's death in 1943 the company continued to grow under his son's stewardship before merging with Hovis MacDougall in the 1960s to form Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM).

Career

Born in Hull and educated at the Reverend Haynes's School in Swinefleet near

Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's Historic counties of England, historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom censu ...

, Joseph Rank initially joined the family milling business. In 1875, he established his own business when he rented a small

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

. Then in 1885 he installed a mechanically driven flour mill at the Alexandra Mill in Hull. His approach was to establish mills close to ports around the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

so expanding the business until it was the largest flour-milling business in the country. During the 1880s, he became a staunch

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

. He was also a lifelong

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

fan. He established various charities which have now been consolidated into the ''Joseph Rank Trust'' and also supported the Hull Royal Infirmary. He gave more than £3.5 million to Methodist charities. During

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 ...

he served on the Wheat Control Board. Sadly, he saw the Clarence Mills that he had built in Hull bombed to destruction during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He died at his home in Reigate Heath on 13 November 1943. He is buried at Sutton Cemetery.

Family

In 1880, he married Emily Voase and together they had three sons and three daughters, one of whom was J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank. He married again in 1918, this time to Annie Maria Witty.

Career

Family

References

Further reading