Hardie, James (Jim) - Bright Sparcs Biographical entry

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Hardie, James (Jim) (1851 - 1920)

Online Sources

Published Sources

Merchant

Born: 27 July 1851 Linlithgow, Scotland. Died: 20 November 1920 Poowong North, Victoria, Australia.

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 Haride & Co.". In 1903 James Hardie travelled overseas and formed a partnership with the "Fibro-Ciment Company" (Poissy, France) to import their new roofing and lining slate product. At first fibro-cement sales in Australia were poor and the company was running at a loss. Shifts in building practices, better marketing and the start of World War I saw fibro-cement become the core business of James Haride & 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 Haride & Co. had another four plants in operation, including one in New Zealand.

Career Highlights

James Hardie retired in 1912 and the James Haride & 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 Haride & 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
1887 Flinders Lane, Melbourne business opened which serviced the tanning and curriering trades
1887 Arrived in Australia (Melbourne) on the Oroya
1893 Married Clara Buncle
1896 James Hardie & Co establised at 581-583 Little Collins St in Melbourne
1903 Imported fibro-cenent from France
1911 Dissolved partnership with Andrew Reid (retrospectively)
1912 Retired
1917 First fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened in Camellia, New South Wales
1921 Fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened at Riversdale, Western Australi
1927 Fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened at Brooklyn, Victoria
1934 Fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened at Newstead, Queensland
1938 Fibro-cement manufacturing plant opened at Penrose, New Zealand

Online Sources

Published Sources

'', http://www.brightoncemetery.com/HistoricInternments/Business/hardiej.htm. [ 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/scripts/tia-dynindex.php3?EID=P003598. [ Details ]

Structure based on ISAAR(CPF) - click here for an explanation of the fields.

Prepared by: Rosanne Walker
Created: 25 May 2001
Modified: 29 January 2007

Published by The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on ASAPWeb, 1994 - 2007
Originally published 1994-1999 by Australian Science Archives Project, 1999-2006 by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre
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Updated: 26 February 2007
http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P003598b.htm

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