Alexander Maguire
Sir Alexander Herbert Maguire, was a British industrialist who made his fortune from match manufacturing, producing the Maguire & Patterson brand amongst others. He played a significant part in the prohibition of poisonous white phosphorus from match manufacturing.
Biography
Maguire was born in 1876, the son of match manufacturer J. T. Maguire of Liverpool. Alexander was educated at Waterloo College in Liverpool. In 1898, J. T. Maguire and his four sons – Alexander, David, Richard and Robert - left the Diamond Match Company of America to form Maguire, Miller & Co. In the 1900s Maguire worked on the White Phosphorus Matches Prohibition Act 1908, for which he was knighted in the 1917 Birthday Honours. In 1919, with the death of two of his brothers and the retirement of another, he took over the directorship of the company and formed Maguire, Paterson and Palmer.Horse racing
In 1939, his horse Workman won the Grand National, coming in at 100/8. It was ridden by Timmy Hyde and trained by Jack Ruttle.Personal life
In 1902, Maguire married Isabel Mary. They had one son and two daughters. Maguire once owned Castle Tioram, on the island of Eilean Tioram, Scotland.His niece Isobel Maguire married Brigadier George Taylor CBE, DSO & Bar.