33:
166:, only just renamed from mere Universal Stores. Rose liked Wolfson's display and ordered 500 clocks, which for Wolfson at the time was a big order. Rose took Wolfson to lunch and showed him the G.U.S. Devonshire Street factory. Soon Wolfson was G.U.S.'s chief buyer but he retained his own business and from G.U.S. took profit share and share options in lieu of salary.
177:, who was a friend. In 1932, he became joint Managing Director with George and in 1934 sole Managing Director. In his first eighteen months Wolfson streamlined and rationalised the company. A loss of £55,000 in 1932 became a profit of £330,000 the next year. From 1934 onwards Wolfson acquired companies with large
169:
Universal Stores was founded in 1900 by
Abraham, George and Jack Rose. The company developed a mail-order trade, sending out small (by later standards) catalogues. In 1931, just after Wolfson joined, it went public but got into serious trouble and the shares plummeted. There were a number of reasons:
142:
He was highly capable in mathematics but could not afford to train as an accountant so he became a salesman for his father, who made cheap tables and chairs for local people. He is said to have been a brilliant salesman. At this time he made many business friends who worked with him ever afterwards.
193:
won the war his businesses would be finished anyway, but, if not, then the opportunities would be enormous. In 1932, G.U.S. was worth £700,000, in 1938 £1,980,000 but by 1948 it was £16 million. This remarkable growth rate and aggressive acquisition plan was then succeeded by a gentler growth rate
102:
business. He joined the company as a merchandising controller in 1932, becoming joint managing director in the same year. The company was in trouble when he joined but he turned it round and made it into a very strong business and the principal source of his wealth. He also had other successful
246:
Wolfson was a devout orthodox Jew. He followed the example of his father and the middle-European community from which he came. He is quoted as having said, "No man should have more than £100,000. The rest should go to charity". He gave immense amounts to charities: from 1948 he included
181:
debts and property assets, some for G.U.S. and some for his own business. These acquisitions provided cash for more acquisitions. Acquired companies included
Midland and Hackney, Drages, Alexander Sloan, Jays and Campbells, British and Colonial and Smart Brothers.
238:, which won the initial ITV weekend contracts for the Midlands and the North of England. However, shortly after the award of the contracts the consortium was shown not to have the financial backing required, causing it to collapse.
150:. There he started his own business, selling clocks, mirrors and upholstery. In 1926 he married Edith Specterman. His father-in-law owned a chain of suburban cinemas and helped him financially in his early days.
807:
294:, among many other projects over the years; he thus became the only non-religious figure to have a college named after him at both Oxford and Cambridge. Professorships named after him exist at
762:
812:
465:
777:
170:
financial inexperience, an ill-advised move from
Manchester to London, a fire and the recession. These troubles hastened the death of Abraham, who was already a sick man.
772:
802:
586:
568:
817:
767:
782:
698:
205:
Wolfson was a brilliant financier and this was central to his early success. Later he backed French–British financier, tycoon, and politician
797:
693:
569:"Sir James Goldsmith, tycoon and founder of the Referendom Party, died of cancer on July 19 aged 64. He was born on February 26, 1933"
386:
532:
136:
734:
630:
428:
303:
291:
787:
398:
51:
707:
318:
donating the cost of a small extension in 1961. The Edith and Isaac
Wolfson Trust financed two housing projects in
287:
283:
275:
235:
594:
252:
220:
620:
346:
267:
266:, to aid in the advancement of education, health and youth activities. This supported the establishment of
792:
390:
327:
163:
91:
209:
with a £1 million loan which
Wolfson charged a whopping 100 per cent interest on. He also underwrote the
354:
173:
Wolfson gradually acquired shares from the Rose brothers, using cash lent by his father-in-law and by
757:
752:
315:
307:
197:
By 1970, Wolfson had sold his private business and handed over control of G.U.S. to his son
Leonard.
174:
159:
406:
311:
299:
295:
671:
651:
482:
374:
338:
263:
95:
646:
689:
626:
528:
720:
666:
616:
474:
394:
279:
256:
57:
259:, the first to be selected from descendants of the nineteenth century waves of immigrants.
214:
206:
104:
87:
440:
350:
323:
37:
746:
524:
210:
178:
486:
217:
186:
420:
Wolfson's wife, the former Edith
Specterman, was a vice-president of the English
17:
558:
His parents were married in the town of
Goniadz in Grodno Gubernia on 8 May 1893
421:
342:
228:
224:
128:
32:
98:
to distribute most of his fortune to good causes. Great
Universal Stores was a
547:
120:
99:
402:
41:
478:
227:
but withdrew financial support in 1964, leading to the company's voluntary
331:
94:(G.U.S. or Gussies) 1932–1947 and chairman 1947–1987. He established the
463:
Bullock, L. (1994). "Isaac
Wolfson, Bt. 1 October 1897 – 20 June 1991".
410:
382:
248:
189:
approached and during the war he continued to buy. He reasoned that if
135:, Scotland. His mother was Nechi Surah Wilamowski. He was educated at
132:
414:
378:
319:
190:
147:
124:
116:
362:
31:
625:. Vol. 2. Associated University Presses. pp. 206–207.
365:, to have both Cambridge and Oxford colleges named after them.
358:
78:
90:
businessman and philanthropist. He was managing director of
66:
75:
72:
63:
466:
Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society
69:
699:
Website of the Edith Wolfson Medical Centre, Israel
60:
27:
Scottish businessman and philanthropist (1897–1991)
622:My World as a Jew: The Memoirs of Israel Goldstein
337:Wolfson is one of a handful of figures, including
119:cabinet maker, Solomon Wolfson, an immigrant from
808:People educated at Queen's Park Secondary School
763:Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
36:Isaac Wolfson speaking at the dedication of the
103:business ventures. He was succeeded by his son
813:People associated with Wolfson College, Oxford
519:Aris, Stephen (1970), "6: Sir Isaac Wolfson",
427:Isaac and Edith Wolfson's only child, a son,
158:In 1930 he was exhibiting at a trade fair in
8:
255:. In 1962 he was appointed president of the
326:, and the family supported the founding of
703:
86:; 17 September 1897 – 20 June 1991) was a
778:Fellows of the Royal Society (Statute 12)
773:Scottish people of Polish-Jewish descent
655:(Supplement). 1 January 1962. p. 1.
452:
514:
512:
510:
508:
506:
504:
502:
500:
498:
496:
397:on 19 February 1962. He was elected a
251:charities at the urging of his friend
458:
456:
185:Wolfson was too old to go to war. As
162:. George Rose was then a director of
7:
803:20th-century British philanthropists
393:list, becoming Baronet as Sir Isaac
314:. He was also a benefactor of the
25:
675:. 20 February 1962. p. 1479.
262:In 1955, Wolfson established the
708:Baronetage of the United Kingdom
56:
818:Wolfson family (United Kingdom)
768:British retail company founders
115:Isaac Wolfson was the son of a
783:Jewish British philanthropists
593:. 24 July 1964. Archived from
405:. In 1971, he was awarded the
49:Sir Isaac Wolfson, 1st Baronet
1:
587:"Trouble in Never-Never Land"
373:Until 1960 Wolfson lived in
234:In 1954 Wolfson was part of
194:and a more corporate style.
399:Fellow of the Royal Society
834:
798:Wolfson College, Cambridge
290:, and the Wolfson Room at
288:Trinity College, Cambridge
286:, the Wolfson Building at
284:Somerville College, Oxford
276:Wolfson College, Cambridge
236:Kemsley-Winnick Television
731:
718:
713:
706:
694:National Portrait Gallery
395:Wolfson of St. Marylebone
242:Religion and philanthropy
201:Other business interests
347:Catherine of Alexandria
268:Wolfson College, Oxford
546:But Aris, p. 97, says
479:10.1098/rsbm.1994.0048
328:Wolfson Medical Center
164:Great Universal Stores
154:Great Universal Stores
92:Great Universal Stores
45:
355:Mary, mother of Jesus
35:
521:The Jews in Business
431:, was born in 1927.
422:Jewish Welfare Board
316:John Rylands Library
175:Archibald Mitchelson
160:Manchester City Hall
146:In 1920 he left for
788:People from Gorbals
725:(of St Marylebone)
407:Freedom of the City
377:; he then moved to
137:Queen's Park School
672:The London Gazette
652:The London Gazette
417:in 1991, aged 93.
391:New Year's Honours
339:Edmund of Abingdon
292:St David's College
264:Wolfson Foundation
96:Wolfson Foundation
46:
741:
740:
732:Succeeded by
617:Goldstein, Israel
18:Sir Isaac Wolfson
16:(Redirected from
825:
704:
677:
676:
663:
657:
656:
643:
637:
636:
613:
607:
606:
604:
602:
583:
577:
576:
565:
559:
556:
550:
544:
538:
537:
516:
491:
490:
460:
381:. He received a
280:Wolfson Building
270:(where he was a
257:United Synagogue
85:
84:
81:
80:
77:
74:
71:
68:
65:
62:
21:
833:
832:
828:
827:
826:
824:
823:
822:
743:
742:
737:
735:Leonard Wolfson
727:
723:
686:
681:
680:
665:
664:
660:
645:
644:
640:
633:
615:
614:
610:
600:
598:
585:
584:
580:
575:. 21 July 1997.
567:
566:
562:
557:
553:
545:
541:
535:
518:
517:
494:
462:
461:
454:
449:
437:
371:
244:
215:washing machine
207:James Goldsmith
203:
156:
127:who settled in
113:
105:Leonard Wolfson
59:
55:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
831:
829:
821:
820:
815:
810:
805:
800:
795:
790:
785:
780:
775:
770:
765:
760:
755:
745:
744:
739:
738:
733:
730:
717:
711:
710:
702:
701:
696:
685:
684:External links
682:
679:
678:
658:
638:
631:
608:
597:on 23 May 2009
578:
560:
551:
539:
533:
492:
451:
450:
448:
445:
444:
443:
441:Wolfson family
436:
433:
401:in 1963 under
370:
367:
351:Mary Magdalene
324:Kiryat Wolfson
322:, both called
272:Founder Fellow
243:
240:
213:agreements of
202:
199:
155:
152:
112:
109:
38:Heichal Shlomo
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
830:
819:
816:
814:
811:
809:
806:
804:
801:
799:
796:
794:
793:Scottish Jews
791:
789:
786:
784:
781:
779:
776:
774:
771:
769:
766:
764:
761:
759:
756:
754:
751:
750:
748:
736:
728:
724:
722:
716:
712:
709:
705:
700:
697:
695:
691:
688:
687:
683:
674:
673:
668:
662:
659:
654:
653:
648:
642:
639:
634:
628:
624:
623:
618:
612:
609:
596:
592:
588:
582:
579:
574:
570:
564:
561:
555:
552:
549:
543:
540:
536:
534:0-14-021629-4
530:
526:
525:Penguin Books
522:
515:
513:
511:
509:
507:
505:
503:
501:
499:
497:
493:
488:
484:
480:
476:
472:
468:
467:
459:
457:
453:
446:
442:
439:
438:
434:
432:
430:
425:
423:
418:
416:
413:. He died in
412:
408:
404:
400:
396:
392:
388:
384:
380:
376:
369:Personal life
368:
366:
364:
360:
356:
352:
348:
344:
340:
335:
333:
329:
325:
321:
317:
313:
309:
305:
301:
297:
293:
289:
285:
281:
277:
273:
269:
265:
260:
258:
254:
250:
241:
239:
237:
232:
230:
226:
222:
219:
216:
212:
211:hire purchase
208:
200:
198:
195:
192:
188:
183:
180:
179:hire purchase
176:
171:
167:
165:
161:
153:
151:
149:
144:
140:
138:
134:
130:
126:
122:
118:
110:
108:
106:
101:
97:
93:
89:
83:
53:
50:
43:
39:
34:
30:
19:
726:
719:
715:New creation
714:
670:
661:
650:
641:
621:
611:
599:. Retrieved
595:the original
590:
581:
572:
563:
554:
542:
520:
470:
464:
426:
419:
372:
336:
271:
261:
253:Israel Sieff
245:
233:
218:entrepreneur
204:
196:
187:World War II
184:
172:
168:
157:
145:
141:
114:
48:
47:
40:building in
29:
758:1991 deaths
753:1897 births
690:Photographs
667:"No. 42604"
647:"No. 42552"
527:(Pelican),
473:: 422–426.
343:Saint Peter
229:liquidation
225:Rolls Razor
139:, Glasgow.
129:the Gorbals
747:Categories
729:1962–1991
632:0845347802
548:Bialystock
523:, London:
447:References
403:Statute 12
221:John Bloom
111:Early life
100:mail order
573:The Times
383:baronetcy
375:Worcester
304:Jerusalem
42:Jerusalem
619:(1984).
601:12 April
487:56548439
435:See also
389:'s 1962
332:Tel Aviv
312:Tel Aviv
296:Bar-Ilan
88:Scottish
721:Baronet
692:in the
429:Leonard
411:Glasgow
385:in the
249:Zionist
133:Glasgow
121:Rajgród
629:
531:
485:
415:Israel
379:London
320:Israel
308:Oxford
278:, the
191:Hitler
148:London
125:Poland
117:Jewish
44:, 1958
483:S2CID
387:Queen
363:Jesus
300:Haifa
627:ISBN
603:2008
591:Time
529:ISBN
361:and
310:and
475:doi
409:of
359:God
330:in
282:at
274:),
223:at
131:in
52:FRS
749::
669:.
649:.
589:.
571:.
495:^
481:.
471:40
469:.
455:^
424:.
357:,
353:,
349:,
345:,
341:,
334:.
306:,
302:,
298:,
231:.
123:,
107:.
79:ən
635:.
605:.
489:.
477::
82:/
76:s
73:f
70:l
67:ʊ
64:w
61:ˈ
58:/
54:(
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
