Person
Hardie, James (Jim) (1851 - 1920)
- Born
- 27 July 1851
Linlithgow, Scotland - Died
- 20 November 1920
Poowong North, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Merchant
Summary
James (Jim) Hardie migrated to Australia in 1887 and established his first business within 5 months. From his Flinders Lane shop he bought and sold consumables for the tanners' and curriers' trades. On 1 January 1896 Hardie went into partnership with businessman Andrew Reid and established "James Hardie & Co.". In 1903 James Hardie travelled overseas and formed a partnership with the "Fibro-Cement Company" (Poissyo-cement become the core business of James Hardie & Co. To overcome the short fall in supply due to World War I, the company were forced to manufacture fibro-cement in Australia. The first plant opened in New South Wales in 1917 and within 11 years James Hardie & Co. had another four plants in operation, including one in New Zealand.
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Details
James Hardie retired in 1912 and the James Hardie & Co. was retrospectively dissolved from 30 June 1911. Hardie spent his retirement enjoying family life and working for the community. He died of heart failure and arteriosclerosis in 1920. Andrew Reid and his descendants continued to run James Hardie & Co. until 1995. The business, changed its name to "James Hardie Industries limited" and in 2001 established a parent company in the Netherlands called "James Hardie Industries NV".
Chronology
- 14 August 1887
- Life event - Arrived in Australia (Melbourne) on the Oroya
- December 1887
- Career position - Flinders Lane, Melbourne business opened which serviced the tanning and curriering trades
- 11 January 1893
- Life event - Married Clara Buncle
- 1 January 1896
- Career position - James Hardie & Co established at 581-583 Little Collins St in Melbourne
- 1903
- Career position - Imported fibro-cement from France
- 30 June 1911
- Career position - Dissolved partnership with Andrew Reid (retrospectively)
- 1912
- Life event - Retired
- May 1917
- Career position - First fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened in Camellia, New South Wales
- 1921
- Career position - Fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened at Riversdale, Western Australia
- 1927
- Career position - Fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened at Brooklyn, Victoria
- 1934
- Career position - Fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened at Newstead, Queensland
- 1938
- Career position - Fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened at Penrose, New Zealand
Published resources
Book Sections
- Lack, John, 'Hardie, James (Jim) (1851-1920)' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Christopher Cunneen, ed., vol. Supplement (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2005), p. 164. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/AS10205b.htm. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21539323. Details
- 'Hardie, James (1851-1920)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1464122. Details
See also
- Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_h.html. Details
Rosanne Walker
Created: 25 May 2001, Last modified: 4 February 2010
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