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Thomas James Smith

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Thomas James Smith (1827−1896) was the founder of Smith & Nephew, one of the United Kingdom's largest medical devices businesses.

Career

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After training as a pharmacist at a dispensing chemist in Grantham and then at University College, London, Thomas Smith opened his own chemist's shop in Hull in 1856.[1] In 1858 he started selling cod-liver oil most of which came from Newfoundland although he obtained one large batch at a cheaper price from Norway: he sold these supplies to hospitals on a wholesale basis.[1]

In 1896 he was joined by his nephew, Horatio Nelson Smith, who helped build T.J. Smith & Nephew into a global medical supplies business.[1] Thomas Smith died later in 1896.[1]

Family

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Smith, who never married, had no children.

Other interests

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He became President of the Hull Chamber of Commerce.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d The pharmaceutical industry: A guide to Historical Records By Lesley Richmond Ashgate, 2003, ISBN 978-0-7546-3352-5
  2. ^ Hull Chamber of Commerce Retrieved 7 June 2009.