Alexander MacRae

Alexander John MacRae (25 December 1889 – 30 November 1938) was a sports entrepreneur and clothing manufacturer. Born in Scotland, he emigrated to Australia where, in 1914, he founded the company that became the swimwear giant Speedo.

Alexander MacRae
Born
Alexander John MacRae

25 December 1889[1]
Applecross, Ross, Scotland
Died30 November 1938(1938-11-30) (aged 48)
Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityBritish
Occupation
Known forFounder of Speedo
Spouse(s)Martha MacRae
Children6
Parent(s)
  • Murdo MacRae
  • Mary

Biography

Early life

MacRae was born on Christmas Day 1889 in Applecross, Ross, Scotland, the son of Murdo and Mary MacRae.[2][3] In 1910, he immigrated to Australia.

Career

It was in 1914 that he founded the hosiery company MacRae Knitting Mills in Regent St Sydney, Australia.[4] In 1918, the company moved into a larger factory in Camperdown. The company was growing quickly, which required more space to manufacture what was becoming an icon of Australia. In 1928, a competition was held to see who could come up with a new name for the business. The name "Speedo" was born and it is the company's name to this day.[5] Later, he flew to America and set the business up there.[6]

Personal life

He married Martha MacRae. They had five sons and a daughter: Alisdair, William, James, Ronald, Duncan, and Jean. All of their sons became directors of Speedo. MacRae died on 30 November 1938 (1938-11-30), aged 48.[7]

References
  1. New Zealand, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920
  2. 1901 Scotland Census
  3. Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985
  4. "PEOPLE: ALEXANDER MACRAE - SPEEDO". The Daily Mail in Scotland. 29 July 2006. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  5. "INDUSTRIES & COMMERCE: SPEEDO KNITTING MILLS PTY LIMITED". willoughbydhs.org.au. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  6. "PEOPLE: ALEXANDER MACRAE - SPEEDO". The Daily Mail in Scotland. 29 July 2006. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  7. "People: Alexander MacRae - Speedo". www.clan-macrae.org.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2017.


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