Sir Henry Tate, 1st Baronet (11 March 1819 – 5 December 1899) was an English merchant and philanthropist, noted for establishing the Tate Gallery and the company that became Tate & Lyle.
Early life
Henry Tate was born in White Coppice on 11 March 1819, the son of Agnes (née Booth) and William Tate. His father was a Unitarian clergyman.
Career
When Tate was 13, he became a grocer's apprentice in Liverpool. After a seven-year apprenticeship, he was able to set up his own shop in nearby Birkenhead. His business was successful, and grew to a chain of six stores by the time he was 35. In 1859, he became a partner in the John Wright & Co. sugar refinery, selling his grocery business in 1861. By 1869, he had gained complete control of the company, and renamed it to Henry Tate & Sons. In 1872, he purchased the patent from Eugen Langen for making sugar cubes and built a new refinery in Liverpool. In 1877, he opened another refinery in the Silvertown district of London, which remains open; at the time, Silvertown was still mostly marshland.[1]
Upon becoming wealthy, Tate donated generously to charity. In 1889, he donated his collection of 65 contemporary paintings to the British government, on the condition that they be displayed in a suitable gallery; he also donated £80,000 toward the construction of said gallery, which is now known as Tate Britain and opened on 21 July 1897 on the site of the old Millbank Prison.
Tate had a reputation as a modest man who was often concerned with improving his workers' conditions, and had the Tate Institute built opposite his London refinery with a bar and dance hall for their recreation.[3]
Tate was made a baronet on 27 June 1898.[4] He had refused this title more than once until—after he had spent £150,000 to build the Millbank Gallery, endowed it with his personal collection, and presented it to the nation—he was told the royal family would be offended if he refused again.[3]
Tate married Jane Wignall in Liverpool on 1 March 1841.[5] They lived at Park Hill near Streatham Common in London, had three sons together, and remained married until her death on 29 November 1883.
Death
Tate died in Streatham on 5 December 1899 at the age of 80, and was buried in nearby West Norwood Cemetery, the gates of which are opposite a public library to which he donated. His home, Park Hill, later became a nunnery before it was refurbished as housing. In 1921, his company Henry Tate & Sons merged with Abram Lyle & Sons to form Tate & Lyle.[3]
Legacy
In 2001, a blue plaque commemorating Tate was unveiled on the site of his first shop at 42 Hamilton Street in Birkenhead.
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