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The Salmon and Gluckstein families, who
funded the start of the business,
dominated the directorships of the company
from 1887 when it was first incorporated.
This first catering company was dissolved
and another, of the same name, was
registered in 1889. It was not until 1894
that J. Lyons & Co. Ltd was registered
as a limited company with shares available
to the public. All three companies (and
bearing the same name) were totally
controlled by the Salmon and Gluckstein
'family'. When the original directors died
their children continued to hold all the
senior positions. It was a nepotistic
style of management which remained
unyielding right up until the 1980s and in
part was one of the factors which led to
the company's decline. Apart from Joseph
Lyons and Len Badham (in 1977) no person,
other than a Gluckstein or Salmon, held
the Managing or Chief Executive
Directorship. There were a few 'Employee
Directors', appointed only on favour, but
they had little influence on real decision
making which was exclusively the
entitlement of 'Family Directors' only.
Their control of the company was achieved
by the careful distribution of voting
shares which were allocated in their
favour. The first directors of the 1894 J.
Lyons & Co Ltd were as follows:
Isidore
Gluckstein (1851 - 1920)
Isidore
Gluckstein was born on 13 August 1851. He
was the oldest son of Samuel Gluckstein
and Hannah Joseph (he had four older
sisters) and with his brother, Montague,
took over the family tobacco interests of
Salmon & Gluckstein when his father
died in 1873. He was the accounting genius
behind the Lyons company providing
financial guidance to the other directors
particularly to his brother Montague. He
was self taught and had no formal
accounting training or qualifications. He
was privately educated at Hartog's Academy
in Camden, London, and later at the
Whitechapel Foundation School. He married
Rose Cohen, a distant relative of Joseph
Lyons, on 21 June 1876, and they had seven
children: Hannah (1877), Barnett (1879),
Samuel (1880), Lena (1882), Julia (1885),
Montague(1886)* and Matilda who died at 8
years. Four of these married their first
cousins. Isidore died on 10 December 1920
at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne. He was
buried at Willesden Cemetery, London ,on
12 December 1920, and 1,000 staff attended
the funeral.
* Became a
director of Lyons
Montague
Gluckstein (1854 - 1922)
Montague
Gluckstein was born on 18 July 1854 and
was the second son of Samuel Gluckstein
and younger brother of Isidore Gluckstein.
He became the Chairman of J. Lyons &
Co Ltd after Joseph Lyons died in 1917. He
was a brilliant businessman and architect
of the firm's early growth from a mere
catering company to the largest food
producer in Europe. Frequently referred to
as 'Monte' his name would be perpetuated
through many generations of the family
making it difficult for genealogists to
build histories. Like his brother he was
privately educated at Hartog's Academy and
later at the Whitechapel Foundation
School. It was Montague's idea to branch
out of cigarette and cigar manufacturing
and to diversify into catering. It took
much persuasion before he could convince
his family to invest. A handsome man, he
married Matilda Franks on 6 February 1884.
They had three children, Samuel (1884)*,
Isidore (1890)* and Emma (1893). Two
married first cousins. He died on 7
October 1922.
* Became a
director of Lyons
Sir
Joseph
Lyons
(1847 - 1917)
Joseph
Lyons was born on 29 December 1847. His
father was a picture dealer and his mother
the daughter of a commercial traveller.
Joseph Lyons was a talented water-colour
artist and sold many of his paintings to
important people of the period. He was
also an apprentice optician but it was
while he was running a stall at the
Liverpool Exhibition in about 1887 that he
was first approached by Montague
Gluckstein to join him and others in the
new catering venture. The Glucksteins
realised that he had a great deal of
experience in dealing with exhibition
authorities which they felt he could put
to good effect. He was made Chairman of J.
Lyons & Co. in 1887, after having
agreed to put his name to the company, a
post he held until 1917. He married Sarah
Psyche Cohen on 24 August 1881. She was
the daughter of a stage comedian who
eventually became the manager of the
Pavilion Theatre, Whitechapel, London. Her
mother too came from a theatrical
background and was herself a stage
actress. As a teenager Joseph Lyons wrote
short plays and sold them to the
theatregoers at the Pavilion Theatre where
he obviously met Sarah. Joseph Lyons was
knighted in 1911 and was a Deputy
Lieutenant of London. There was no issue
from the marriage and Joseph Lyons died of
Bright's Disease at the Hyde Park Hotel on
22 June 1917.
Barnett
Salmon (1829 - 1897)
Barnett
Salmon was the son of Aaron Solomons (he
assumed the name of Sloman) and Jane
Barnett Simmons and was born on 24 May
1829. He became a tobacco salesman and it
was in this capacity that he met Samuel
Gluckstein (Isidore's and Montague's
father), who was also a tobacco salesman.
Their friendship flourished after Barnett
Salmon married Samuel Gluckstein's
daughter, Helena, on 24 June 1863. She was
17 years younger than Barnett but bore him
nine sons and six daughters although six
died in infancy from scarlet fever. Little
is known of his early life but many of the
subsequent descendants from this branch of
the family would play active roles in the
story of Lyons. Barnett Salmon died on 11
February 1897 just ten years after the
Lyons business was formed and did not live
to see how it flourished. Although Barnett
Salmon was one of the founding members of
J. Lyons & Company, and was a director
of the 1887 and 1889 companies, he was not
a director of the 1894 J. Lyons company.
One of Barnett Salmon's grandchildren
(Cyril Salmon) was a very successful judge
and became Lord of Appeal between 1972 -
80.
Joseph
Browne Martin (1835 - 1926)
Very little is know of this director who first appears in 1894 Shareholder Reports. He was born in 1835 and died on 20 January 1926. His business occupation was described as 'Gentleman'. Although he was a director between 1894-1925 he was not involved in the day-today operations of the company but was thought to have been a major shareholder. He was Chairman of R. Bell & Co., London, one of England's best known match manufacturers which existed from 1832-1921. Browne Martin was Chairman from the late nineteenth century until the First World War (approximately). He was responsible for a number of Bell factories in Australia and New Zealand in 1895 and was responsible for arranging the merger with Bryant & May in 1909/10.
Edwin Levy
(1840 - 1895)
Edwin Levy
was born on 29 August 1840 and died during
the first year office on 26 February 1895.
He died of a heart condition and Isidore
Gluckstein was present at the death which
occurred at, 32 Compayne Gardens, West
Hampstead. He was 65 years old and on his
death certificate his occupation is listed
as 'of independent means'. His vacancy on
the board was taken by Alfred Salmon. It
is not known how he became a director but
is believed to have been a major
shareholder. He did not involve himself
with the day-to-day operations of the
company.
Alfred
Salmon (1894 - 1928)
Alfred
Salmon was the eldest son of Barnett
Salmon and was born on 20 July 1868. Like
all the family he did not receive any
university or formal education/training
but was put to work in the kitchens of the
Trocadero Restaurant where he 'learned the
trade'. He married Frances Abrahams on 14
November 1894 and they had three children:
Barnett (1895), Felix (1908) and Ivor
(1911). Felix and Ivor both became Lyons
directors. Alfred Salmon died on 11
October 1928 as Managing Director. One of
his grandchildren, Vanessa Salmon, married
Nigel Lawson who became Chancellor of the
Exchequer in Margaret Thatcher's
government. The marriage was
dissolved.
Chairmen
of J. Lyons & Co Ltd
1894 -
1917 Joseph Lyons (Kt. from 1911)
1917 - 1922 Montague Gluckstein
1923 - 1928 Alfred Salmon
1928 - 1941 Isidore Salmon (Kt. from
1933)
1941 - 1950 Harry Salmon JP
1950 - 1956 Major Montague I. Gluckstein
OBE
1956 - 1960 Isidore Montague
Gluckstein
1960 - 1965 Barnett Alfred Salmon
1965 - 1968 Samuel Salmon Kt. CBE, JP, MP.
(Mayor of Hammersmith 1968/69)
1968 - 1972 Geoffrey Salmon CBE
1972 - 1977 Brian Lawson Salmon CBE
1977 - 1981 Neil Lawson Salmon
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