Alfred Dunhill

Alfred Dunhill (30 September 1872 – 2 January 1959) was an English tobacconist, entrepreneur and inventor. He is the progenitor of Alfred Dunhill Limited, a London-based luxury goods firm (owned by Swiss company Richemont), and the Dunhill tobacco products company owned by British American Tobacco (now two independently owned entities).

From 1893 Dunhill ran a company selling motoring accessories, and in 1902 opened a shop in Mayfair. He developed a pipe designed for motorists in 1904. He opened a tobacconist's shop in St James's in 1907, offering tailored tobacco blends. Shops were opened in New York and Paris during the 1920s. With his international ambitions, Dunhill helped to create the modern luxury goods market. He retired from business in 1929 and married his mistress in 1945, following the death of his wife.

Early life Dunhill was born on 30 September 1872 at 2 Church Path in Hornsey, Middlesex. He was the second son of five children of Henry Dunhill (1842–1901), a master blind-maker, and his wife and cousin, Jane, née Styles (1843–1922). Alfred Dunhill was educated at The Lower School of John Lyon in Harrow on the Hill and by tutors until he was 15, when he was apprenticed to his father's business. He married Alice Stapleton (1874–1945) on 15 June 1895.

Tobacco business

In 1907 he opened a small tobacconist's shop on Duke Street in the St James's area. He offered tobacco blends tailored for the individual customer. The shop rapidly prospered. His granddaughter Mary later described his flair as a salesman and a shopkeeper.

The business expanded, and by 1910 Dunhill had taken additional premises in Duke Street.

The post-war period witnessed both expansion and the commissioning of new products. The company always ensured its products were covered by patent and trade mark, a policy prosecuted with vigour from the outset. The early 1920s saw the wholesale and export side of the business move to Notting Hill Gate, close to the pipe and cigarette division located at Campden Hill Road. The 1920s also saw the opening of shops in New York and Paris. In 1926 the company launched the Unique lighter, a product that Dunhill and his brother Herbert had much interest in developing, and was the world's first lighter that could be operated with just one hand. In The New York Times review of the book, the anonymous author credited Dunhill with making pipe smoking "a gentlemanly diversion". The book has rarely been out of print since its publication. Dunhill was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1925.

Retirement Dunhill passed the chairmanship of his company to his son Alfred Henry Dunhill in 1928, taking retirement for health reasons. He left his wife and moved to Worthing to join his long-term mistress, Vera Mildred Wright (1902–1976), who changed her name to his by deed poll. His second wife survived him.

Works

Reprinted: London: Max Reinhardt.