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John Boot

British chemist and businessman

John Boot (October 1815 – 30 May 1860) was an English chemist and retail businessperson who was the sole founder of Boots the Chemists. Originally working in agriculture, he was forced by ill health to change careers and set up a shop to sell medicinal herbal remedies at Goose Gate, Nottingham.2

From Wikipedia’s article on John Boot (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born 1815, died 1860.1

About

Although he had no formal qualification, he had learned the skills from his mother and from the Methodist book, Primitive Physic by John Wesley.

When Boot died in 1860, his wife Mary took over the business, and his son, Jesse, went on to expand the business by opening more stores in poor areas, eventually expanding it into the company Boots UK.

From Wikipedia’s article on John Boot, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

Early life

Boot was born in Radcliffe-on-Trent, England, in October 1815. He was the son of William Boot; his mother Sarah (née Fox) had practised the duty of herbal management; John was inspired by this.

From Wikipedia’s article on John Boot (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: businessperson, chemist.4

  • Date not recordedFounded Boots3

Personal life

  • Born1815, Radcliffe-on-Trent5
  • CitizenshipUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland6
  • SpousesElizabeth Mills married 18387; Mary Wills married 18497

Personal life and death

Boot married Elizabeth Mills in 1838; she died in 1848. He married his second wife Mary Wills, in 1849, and the couple had one child, Jesse, on 2 June 1850.

Boot died on 30 May 1860, leaving his wife and business behind. Mary Boot carried on with the business, renaming it as M & J Boot, Herbalists. Boot's son, Jesse, would help bring the business to a much larger custom base, by opening further shops in other poor areas of the city, and eventually evolving into the national Boots UK empire.

From Wikipedia’s article on John Boot (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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