Sir Thomas Skinner, 1st Baronet, (23 November 184011 May 1926), born Thomas Skinner was a British-born financial writer, publisher, and businessman who became a director of the Canadian Pacific Railway and governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.
Early life Thomas Skinner was born on 23 November 1840 in Bristol, England.The Beaver. (1926). Canada: Hudson's Bay Company. His father was James Skinner of Bristol.
As a young man, he relocated from Bristol to London in the early 1860s.
Career Financial Journalist career Early on, Skinner went into journalism. Around 21, as Joint-stock company activities flourished post-Companies Act 1862, he began his financial journalist career in London. He was a regular contributor to the Daily Chronicle.
Amid speculation, inflation, and the Panic of 1866, he established himself in the financial press with incisive analysis, conciseness, and firm independence. He later published his debut work after years of writing for provincial newspapers.Leading Men of London: A Collection of Biographical Sketches, with Portraits. (1895). United Kingdom: British Biographical Company.
Publishing career Stock Exchange Year Book Between 1874 and 1875, he compiled and published the first edition of The Stock Exchange Year-Book, an annual publication covering an overview of joint-stock companies and public securities in the UK market for investors.The Publishers' Circular and General Record of British and Foreign Literature. (1874). United Kingdom: Sampson Low. It was first published at five shillings, and contained over 200 pages, gradually increasing year by year. By October 1883, it had reached its tenth year.Publisher and Bookseller. (1883). United Kingdom: J. Whitaker.
Directory of Directors In May 1880, he compiled and edited the first annual publication of the Directory of Directors which was published in London. Skinner used company reports and other reliable sources to compile the information on around 6,000 directors and their companies in industry, commerce, and finance. The 1881 issue, published at the Royal Exchange buildings, featured 7,500 directors and grew from 272 to 384 pages.The Directory of Directors. (1881). United Kingdom: Thomas Skinner Directories.
The London Banks That same year in 1880, the financial journalist set out to acquire the copyright of London Banks and Kindred Companies and Firms. It was originally published in December 1865 under the title The London Banks, Credit, Discount, and Finance Companies.British Museum: Catalogue of Printed Books : Periodical Publications : Part 1-6 : Aarau-Zwolle. (n.d.). United Kingdom: William Glowes and sons.The Statist. (1945). United Kingdom: (n.p.). In November 1880, Skinner replaced Edwin Utley as the chief editor and publisher of London Banks, and Kindred Companies and Firms. The publication compiled information regarding banks and companies that made up the London Money Market. In 1881, the Leeds Mercury reported, "Mr. Skinner has already added features to it which increase its value."
Bankers' Almanac Skinner later took over a semi-annual publication established in 1844–45 titled the Bankers' Almanac in East Grinstead, England. It became popularly known as "Skinner's" and was a directory of thousands of major banks in alphabetical order.Deuss, J. (1990). Banking in the U.S.: An Annotated Bibliography. United Kingdom: Scarecrow Press. The periodical London Banks and Kindred Companies and Firms was merged into the Bankers' Almanac in 1919.Nishimura, S. (1971). The Decline of Inland Bills of Exchange in the London Money Market 1855–1913. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Canadian Pacific Railway Co. In 1881, an invitation was extended for the well-known financial journalist to become involved in Canadian matters. He developed an interest in railroads during an early visit to Canada, when the Canadian Pacific Railway was in its infancy.
In February 1881, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company was incorporated to build and manage a transcontinental railway extending from St. John, New Brunswick, and Montreal, Quebec, to Vancouver, British Columbia.Moodys Manual of Railroads and Corporation Securities. Government, State and Municipal Supplement. (1907). United States: Poor's Publishing Company. Skinner aligned himself with members of the CPR syndicate in promoting the project to British investors. His influence and understanding of London's financial markets proved instrumental in securing the necessary backing from the U.K.
Canada North-West Land Co. In 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. established the British-Canadian Canada North-West Land Company. Its board of directors was chaired by Thomas Skinner.McDonald, D. (2002). Lord Strathcona: A Biography of Donald Alexander Smith. Ukraine: Dundurn Press.
The Canadian Gazette Seeking to introduce Canada to a British audience, he founded and edited the Canadian Gazette in London starting in April 1883.A Tour Through Canada: From Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island. (1884). United Kingdom: Cassell & Company.Berton, P. (2010). The Last Spike: The Great Railway, 1881–1885. Canada: Doubleday Canada. The weekly paper featured Canadian news, emigration topics, and investment opportunities.Athenaeum and Literary Chronicle. (1883). United Kingdom: J. Francis. It was primarily financed by George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen who had recently resigned as President of the Bank of Montreal to focus on the newly-formed Canadian Pacific Railway.MacLaren, R. (2006). Commissions High: Canada in London, 1870–1971. Ukraine: McGill-Queen's University Press. Skinner became regarded as a leading authority on Canadian investments.Official Report of Debates, House of Commons. (1898). Canada: Queen's Printer..
Colonization Board On 26 December 1888, a board was temporarily established to coordinate the migration of crofters and cottars from the congested Western Highlands and Scottish islands. The Crofter Emigration Board was composed of Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian, the Secretary for Scotland; Sir Charles Tupper, the High Commissioner for the Dominion of Canada in London; Sir John Muir, 1st Baronet, the Lord Provost of Glasgow; and Thomas Skinner of the North-West Land Co.Hansard, T. C. (1889). Hansard's Parliamentary Debates. United Kingdom: Hansard.
The board had been reconstituted in November 1891, given extended authority over the Congested Districts Board for Ireland, and joined by Sir Horace Plunkett.Handbook. .... (1908). United Kingdom: H.M. Stationery Office. Officially appointed by Queen Victoria in 1891, for many years he served on the Imperial Colonization Board.The Canadian Men and Women of the Time: A Handbook of Canadian Biography of Living Characters. (1912). Canada: W. Briggs. The Colonization Board was established with the aim of populating and developing the Dominion of Canada. He served as one of the commissioners for the administration of funds provided by the British Parliament to support Canadian colonization.
CPR Director Skinner was first elected to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's board of directors In May 1889.
In August 1889, after traveling with CPR President William Cornelius Van Horne across the Canadian North-West, the CPR director, chairman of the Northwest Land Co., and royal commissioner was impressed by the region's condition and potential. He did, however, address a problem with a stretch of the Government Railway along the Thompson River.Railway News, Finance and Joint-stock Companies' Journal. (1890). United Kingdom: (n.p.).
Later that year in November, he was appointed as the London-based financial agent and advisor for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Co. He was appointed chairman of the board of the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Co. Ltd. in 1889, following a British financial syndicate's acquisition and merger of Pillsbury with a competitor.Poor's Manual of Industrials. (1911). United States: Poor's Railroad Manual Company.
Hudson's Bay Co. Thomas Skinner was appointed a member of the Committee of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) on 29 July 1890 to replace Sir Charles Russell.SKINNER, T. (n.d.). SKINNER, Thomas (Sir, 1st bart.) (23 Nov. 1840-11 May 1926). In ARCHIVESWINNIPEG. https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/_docs/hbca/biographical/s/skinner_thomas1890-1915.pdf
Commercial Cable Co. In April 1891, he was elected as a Director of the Commercial Cable Company which was registered in 1883. He announced the news to the public in the Canadian Gazette.The Electrical Review. (1891). United Kingdom: IPC Electrical-Electronic Press,.. The company was engaged in manufacturing and owning both underwater telegraph cables and land-based lines.Poor's Manual of Railroads. (1903). United States: H.V. & H.W. Poor.
Bank of Montreal In 1894, Skinner became a member (and later chairman) of the London-based advisory board of the Bank of Montreal on 22 Abchurch Lane. Serving from the mid-1890s to the 1920s, he worked on the committee with Alexander Lang and Sir Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, who presided over the bank's board of directors.The Outlook. (1898). United Kingdom: Outlook Publishing Company.Kelly's Directory of Merchants, Manufacturers and Shippers. (1912). United Kingdom: Kelly's Directories Limited.
He was recommended to the Canadian Government in 1894 as Peter Redpath's successor on the Imperial Institute's Council. He was appointed, at their request, as a governor of the institute representing the Northwest Territories. At this time, he lived at Broughton Lodge, Highgate, worked from 1 Royal Exchange Buildings, E.C., and was affiliated with London's Junior Athenaeum Club.
The Canadian Pacific Railway Company director worked closely on advancing railway interests with James J. Hill, the Canadian president of the Great Northern Railway, and George Stephen, former BMO president and cousin of Sir Donald A. Smith. He was among four who signed the London agreement on 10 May 1895 to acquire the Northern Pacific Railway for the Great Northern Railway.Wilkins, M. (1989). The history of foreign investment in the United States to 1914. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Halifax & Bermuda Co. In 1897, Thomas Skinner held the roles of Trustee and Director for the Halifax and Bermudas Cable Company, alongside Sir Donald A. Smith. In London, he chaired the board of directors, including Charles R. Hosmer, T.G.H. G’ynn, and Joseph Rippon.Railway News, Finance and Joint-stock Companies' Journal. (1897). United Kingdom: (n.p.).
Direct West India Cable Co. The Direct West India Cable Company Ltd. was founded on 2 August 1897 to take over a contract between the Halifax & Bermuda Co. and the British government for managing a submarine cable route linking Bermuda, Jamaica, and Turks Island. Following its registration on 1 September 1897, Skinner maintained roles as Trustee and Director of the Direct West India Cable Company Ltd. alongside Lord Strathcona, serving as chairman at its British headquarters on Old Broad Street.The Electrician Electrical Trades Directory and Handbook. (1898). United Kingdom: Benn Brothers.. Banking services for the company were provided by the Bank of Montreal.The Electrical Journal. (1898). United Kingdom: (n.p.). By 1915, his son T. Hewitt Skinner was also a director of the firm.The Universal Electrical Directory (J.A. Berly's).. (1915). United Kingdom: H. Alabaster, Gatehouse & Company,..
At the end of the 19th century, Skinner was appointed Deputy Governor of Hudson's Bay Company in London, succeeding Earl of Lichfield Sir Donald Smith.Moody's Manual of Railroads and Corporation Securities. (1907). United States: Moody Manual Company.
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