George Aitken Clark

George Aitken Clark (1823–1873) was a Scottish manufacturer and benefactor.

George Aitken Clark, statue next to Paisley Town Hall, by John Mossman[1]

Life

He was the son of John Clark, a thread manufacturer in Paisley, where he was born on 9 August 1823. He was educated at Paisley grammar school, and in 1840 was sent the firm of Kerr & Co. of Hamilton, Ontario. On reaching manhood he returned to Paisley, and entered into partnership with Messrs. Robert and John Ronald, shawlmakers, under the name of "Ronald & Clark".[2]

In 1851 Clark gave up his partnership to go into with his brother-in-law, Robert Kerr, as a thread manufacturer. To extend the business he went in 1856 to the United States, and to avoid the tariffs the firm in 1864 established a factory at Newark, New Jersey. It was a success, and Clark's O.N.T. spool cotton soon became a recognised American brand. In 1866 the firm amalgamated with the original firm of Clark under the name of Clark & Co.,with an anchor as their trade-mark. Clark died at Newark on 13 February 1873.[2]

Legacy
Paisley Town Hall

By his will Clark left £20,000 for scholarships at Glasgow University, and £20,000 to build a town hall in Paisley. The firm of Clark & Co. subscribed a further £40,000, and the building then styled the George A. Clark Town Hall was opened in 1882.[2] The architect was William Henry Lynn.[3]

Notes
  1. Paisley's Public Sculptures (PDF) Archived 4 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine at p. 5.
  2. Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1887). "Clark, George Aitken" . Dictionary of National Biography. 10. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  3. Larmour, Paul. "Lynn, William Henry". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/63609. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1887). "Clark, George Aitken". Dictionary of National Biography. 10. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

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