Hiram Walker (July 4, 1816 – January 12, 1899) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He was born in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and moved to Detroit in 1838. Rpr. in . 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. He began selling his whisky as Hiram Walker's Club Whisky, in containers that were "clearly marked". 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 US government to pass a law requiring that all foreign whiskeys state their country of origin on the label. — Rpt from. From this point forward, Hiram Walker's 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.Essex County Sketches, Essex County Tourist Association, 1947
The Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery remained in the Walker family until 1926 when they sold it to Harry C. Hatch for $15,000,000, . While the company has gone through several owners and is now part of Pernod Ricard, the Canadian Club brand is owned by Suntory Global Spirits, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Japan. Canadian Club whisky is still produced at the distillery site Walker founded.
Early life 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 Walker 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. Through this, he gained knowledge and experience of the business world. At this time, Boston was the major metropolis of New England. Walker, as well as many other youthful New Englanders, were drawn to the opportunity of the midwest and beyond, largely due to the expansion and development of the railway.
Marriage and family On October 5, 1846, at age thirty, Walker married Mary Abigail Williams. Mary Williams and Hiram Walker had seven children, five boys and two girls, but one of the girls died at age 13.
His wife was the daughter of Ephraim Smith Williams and Hannah Melissa Gotee of Silver Lake, Michigan. Mary Abigail, like Walker, was the descendant of new England pioneers, whose familial roots traced back to Massachusetts in 1638. On her mother's side, Mary Abigail was the descendant of French merchants.
He had two daughters, Julia Elizabeth and Jennie Melissa, and five sons, Willis Ephraim, Edward Chandler, Franklin Hiram,Franklin’s daughter Helen Holbrook Walker is listed as an American heiress who married European royalty, twice, see List of American heiresses#From 1865 to 1965. Alfred (infant), and James Harrington. Edward Chandler, his second son, commissioned the development of Willistead Manor.
Adult life Throughout his life, Walker remained an American citizen. For a period of five years from 1859 until 1864, he lived in Windsor in a residence named the "Cottage" on land that was part of the Labadie holdings which Walker originally purchased. The "Cottage", a large home for the period, had a third story as well as a large verandah.
Business history
Early years
Walker was not new to the world of business. Since his migration to Detroit he had been involved in several different projects. In his earlier days he worked as a grocery clerk from 1838 until 1845 for several different employers. Eventually, after being involved in the grocery business for several years, he took it upon himself to begin operating a grocery store of his own in 1846 which did not last. Following his work as a clerk, Walker was employed at the firm of Ingersoll and Kirby, a leather and leather goods business. Through this, he gained his first knowledge into the business world. By 1845, he had saved enough money as a clerk to invest in a business, the firm of Walker and Parker, which specialized in tanning and leather sales. However, this partnership dissolved in 1846, and Walker returned to the grocery business. The tannery business burned down in 1848.
Walker was well-regarded as a proficient businessman, noted for his involvement in a wide range of different businesses and industries. Some associate his success with his ability to dabble in multiple business opportunities as well as jump quickly on prospective businesses. This can be seen, for example, during his grocery business between 1849 and 1858 when Walker had the idea to produce his own vinegar. His beginnings in the distillery business have been traced to January 1849, where an advertisement in a Detroit newspaper publicized Walker's "barrels of cider vinegar" and "wheat whisky". It was advertised for 10 cents per gallon. Through this business, he began to distill his own vinegar, which became popular in the area because of its consistency, low price, and high quality. He then sold it at his grocery store, to other grocers as well as across the River in Windsor via door-to-door sales. Thus, the vinegar factory became another successful business venture for Walker which, after years of success in Detroit, he sold in 1858.
It is true that it was the manufacturing of vinegar led to Walker's eventual shift to the manufacturing of whisky. However, he had been selling alcohol since 1849 and continued to at the time he actually began to distill. He also was involved in the grain business, through serving as a supplier to the local flour mills in the Detroit area.
Development of Walker's distillery Through his work in the grocery business, as well as his cider and wheat sales, he had nearly $40,000 saved, which he then used to purchase additional space in Detroit and inexpensive land across the Detroit River, in what is now Windsor, Ontario, in order to expand his business. He did have interest in distilling his own liquor, but at the time, there were strict prohibition laws which prevented him from doing so. Walker distilled his first barrel of whisky in 1854, despite the instability of prohibition laws. After 5 years of distilling in Detroit he ended that particular business there.
Walker was considered one of the largest landowners in Ontario, and over his entire lifetime, his land possessions measured around 10,000 acre, most of which along the Walkerville and Detroit River Railroad. The location of Walker's property, on what was originally considered part of the Labdie farm,Detroit Journal, 1890. was extremely valuable because the Great Western Railway was in close proximity and enabled Walker to move products from his distillery and cattle yards.
Whisky makers before Walker ran spirits and whisky through charcoal, until around 1855, but Walker's method of utilizing a barrel to "create colour" and a pleasing flavor was unprecedented.
A huge demand for Walker's whisky and flour originated through the Civil War. It was at this time, that smuggling became common via the Detroit River. There is a legend that Walker built a "liquor pipeline" under the Detroit River for smuggling purposes.
Being an entrepreneur, Walker looked at every venture possible, to expand his business. Since Detroit was only a boat-ride across the river to Windsor, Canada, he began to weigh his options in expanding into foreign territory. Canada had much to offer entrepreneurs and business risktakers. The population was increasing gradually, communications were advancing, and real estate was cheaper compared to that from across the river. Labor and materials also cost less in Canada than in the States. Walker looked into expanding to Canada. With the expansion of America through the Great Western Railroad, trade opportunities opened up for businessmen like Walker. He ventured into Canada across the border from Detroit into what is currently known as Essex County. At this time, the population in this area was considerably smaller than that of Detroit, consisting of small village settlements under the Township of Sandwich, such as the villages of Windsor and Sandwich. Most of the land in this area was vast farm land.
In 1856, he bought his first piece of land from the Labadie family through grandson Eugene Hall for £300. This transaction took place on December 22, 1856, using the British currency system that Canada was still employing. A month later, on January 24, 1857, he acquired another 300 acres of land for which he paid £750. Also on this day, he purchased another 104 acres for £250. The remainder of 1857 involved building on much of this land. Walker, still a resident of Detroit, often crossed the border to oversee the construction. His plan was to open a steam-powered flour mill, which did not exist in the area, and a distillery, in which he had very little serious competition. He also had his hands in the agricultural industry, with owning cattle and hogs, as well as farming.
In 1857, Walker bought more property near the farm he already owned, increasing his holdings to 468 acres. He began construction of the flour mill and distillery in the same year, which he visited every day during construction even though he still resided in America. He continued his grocery business in the meantime, helping him become the leading commission merchant in Detroit.
The year 1858 marked the completion of the flour mill and distillery that Walker was building in Canada and at this time business could begin. During this time he still maintained his very successful grain business in the United States. The flour that would be produced in his flour mill would prove to be popular not only in Canada but also in the United States and Britain. His introduction of a large steam flouring mill benefited the County of Essex's farming community, which at this time made up most of the population, by encouraging farming practices. Wheat farmers from all around would go and use the flour mill as it gained in popularity.
The distillery was also becoming quite popular with the locals at this time. Mid-summer 1858 marked the opening of Walker's whisky operation. The same process which he had used in Detroit was now used in Windsor to distill his alcohol. Spirits were leached through charcoal, a process widely used at the time.
His Canadian industries quickly took precedence over that of his grain business still located in Detroit. It was because of this that Walker found himself traveling by ferry to Canada from his home in Detroit on a daily basis. This trip was a lengthy process as the ferry that brought him to Canada dropped him off in Windsor, which left a long ride via horse and buggy to his flour mill and distillery. At this time in March 1859, Walker moved to Canada in order to save time traveling to and from his Canadian businesses. He moved out of the home he had been in since 1851 and into a house located near the flour mill, which he altered and called "The Cottage".