Hiram Walker
| Hiram Walker | |
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Hiram Walker, from a painting that hangs in Willistead Manor, Windsor, Ontario
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| Born |
July 4, 1816 East Douglas, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 12, 1899 (aged 82) Detroit, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Business |
| Known for | founder of Canadian Club whisky |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Abigail Williams |
| Children | Elizabeth Walker, Jennie Walker, Willis Ephraim Walker, Edward Chandler Walker, Franklin Hiram Walker, Alfred Walker, James Harrington Walker |
| Parent(s) | Willis Walker and Ruth Buffum |
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Hiram Walker (July 4, 1816 – January 12, 1899) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Walker was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in 1838. He purchased land across the Detroit River, just east of what is Windsor, Ontario, and established a distillery in 1858 in what would become Walkerville, Ontario. Walker began selling his whisky as Hiram Walker's Club Whisky, in containers that were "clearly marked" and he used a process to make his whisky that was vastly different from all other distillers. It became very popular, angering American distillers, who forced the U.S. Government to pass a law requiring that all foreign whiskeys state their country of origin on the label. From this point forward, Hiram Walker's famous Canadian Club Whisky was Canada's top export whisky. He established and maintained the company town that grew around his distillery, exercising planning and control over every facet of the town, from public works to religious services to police and fire control.
The Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery remained in the Walker family until 1926 when they sold it to Harry C. Hatch. Canadian Club whisky is still produced at the distillery site Walker founded. The company has gone through several owners and is now part of Pernod Ricard (France). The Canadian Club brand is owned by Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Japan.
Hiram Walker was born on July 4, 1816 on a family farm in Douglas, Massachusetts. He was the sixth generation of English immigrants, his father was a reputable schoolmaster. His ancestors can be traced back to Thomas Walker of Boston, who emigrated to America from England. His father died when he was aged 9. Douglas, Massachusetts was a small town, with a population of 1,800, and very few businesses, which include a planing mill, a machine shop, cotton factory and forge. He received a "common" school education in Boston, and began working as a dry goods clerk. He left for Detroit, Michigan, in 1838, at the age of 22 years. Detroit was a vast change from Boston at the time, as Detroit had a smaller population, where Hiram was able to find employment. His first employment in Detroit was as a grocery clerk at a store owned by Augustus Gardner, east of Woodward Avenue. His general tasks were to order, receive, check and price out all the goods in which the company dealt with. Through this, he gained knowledge and experience of the business world. At this time, Boston was the major metropolis of New England, the Eastern Seaboard, and served as the heart of old America. Walker, as well as many other youthful New Englanders, were drawn to the opportunity of the Mid-West and beyond, largely in part to the expansion and development of the railway.
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