George Matthey

George Matthey (1825–1913) was an English metallurgist, known for work on the refining of platinum. He became a partner in the metals firm Johnson & Matthey in 1851, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1879.

Early life and background He was born on 8 May 1825, a younger (third or fourth son) of John Matthey and his wife Elizabeth Green; his grandfather Simon Matthey was Swiss, from Le Locle, an immigrant to Great Britain around 1790. A Simon Matthey of 21 Artillery Place, Finsbury Square, has a directory entry in 1814 as a merchant, and died in 1815 aged 73; at the same address, in 1817, John Matthey is in business as a merchant. George Matthey's father John was a stockbroker and dealer in foreign exchange. He was taught there by a Mr. Sandor. George Matthew initially worked on assays, under William John Cock (1813–1892).

In 1850/1 Matthew made a key deal for platinum ore with Anatoly Demidov, 1st Prince of San Donato, from a mine in the Urals. Up to that point the sole commercial source had been from the Chocó Department in Colombia. This business success gained Matthew a partnership with Johnson.

Johnson, Matthey & Co. Johnson retired in 1860, and the Hatton Garden business was carried on by the partnership of George Matthey, his brother Edward who had entered the firm in 1850, and John Sellon. George Matthey was the initial chairman of the limited company. The manufacture of the initial International Prototype of the Kilogram is credited to Matthey and Ambroise Barbe Alfred Collot (1827–1900), a French maker of precision instruments.

Residences Matthey had Cheyne House at 18 Cheyne Walk built to a design by Norman Shaw in 1875–7. He also had a house Rosemount in Eastbourne, on which Shaw worked 1880–1.

Family Matthey married in 1853 Charlotte Ann Davies.