Thomas Robert "Tommy" Dewar, 1st Baron Dewar (6 January 1864 – 11 April 1930) was a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 whisky

Whisky

Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...

 distiller who, along with his brother John Dewar

John Dewar, 1st Baron Forteviot

John Alexander Dewar, 1st Baron Forteviot was a Scottish businessman, elder son of the founder of Dewar's Scotch Whisky and a Liberal Member of Parliament.-Family:...

, built their family label, Dewar's

Dewar's

Dewar's is a brand of blended Scotch whisky.-History:The Dewar's whisky brand was created by John Dewar, Sr. in 1846. Under the control of his two sons, John A. Dewar Jr. and Thomas "Tommy" Dewar , the brand expanded to become a global market by 1896...

, into an international success. They blended their whisky to make it more appealing to the international palate and Dewar demonstrated particular skills in marketing, travelling the world to find new markets and promote his product, exploiting romantic images of Scotland and tartan in his advertising.

Life

Dewar was born in 1864 in Perth, Scotland

Perth, Scotland

Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...

. The son of John Dewar, Sr.

John Dewar, Sr.

John Dewar was a Scottish businessman who founded John Dewar & Sons, Scotch whisky distillery in 1846.In 1845 he married Jane Gow with whom he had the following sons:# John # James Gow...

, he was exposed at a very young age to the spirit industry in Scotland as his father founded the John Dewar & Sons, Ltd. He earned his education in Perth, as well as in Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 and he soon realized that farming was not his calling. After his father's death he worked with his brother John to continue and grow their families brand. Gifted with a charisma, Dewar was able to expand his father's business on a global scale.

Leaving his brother John A. Dewar Jr. in Scotland to run the business, Dewar set out to publicize their brand to the world. Visiting 26 countries over the course of 2 years, the Dewar's brand was put on the map as one of the premiere Scotch Whiskys available. Dewar kept a journal of his travels which were consolidated and published in the book titled, "Ramble Round the Globe

A Ramble Round the Globe

A Ramble Round the Globe is a 1894 book by Thomas Dewar detailing his journey around the world publicizing Dewars Scotch Whisky. The book is at least purportedly Dewar's journal, written solely for his friends who "wanted to know 'all about it.'"...

," published by Chatto and Windus in 1894.

He was a JP for Kent and a Lieutenant of the City of London, Sheriff of London in 1897, and then entered politics as Conservative

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 Member of Parliament for Tower Hamlets, St George

St George (UK Parliament constituency)

St George was a parliamentary constituency in what is now the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was part of the Parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets and returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

 from 1900 to 1906. During this period, Dewar was noted for his hostility to "pauper immigration" and played an active part in campaigning for the legislation that became the Aliens Act 1905

Aliens Act 1905

The Aliens Act 1905 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Act for the first time introduced immigration controls and registration, and gave the Home Secretary overall responsibility for immigration and nationality matters...

. As the predominint emigrant group arriving in the East End in this period were Jews from Eastern Europe, Dewar's statements have been generally regarded as anti-semitic.

Dewar was knighted in 1902, created a Baronet, of Homestall Manor in the Parish of East Grinstead in the County of East Sussex, in 1917, and raised to the peerage as Baron Dewar, of Homestall in the County of Sussex, in 1919. However, as he never married the baronetcy and barony became extinct on his death. In 1923 Dewar purchased the Glen Ord Distillery

Glen Ord Distillery

Glen Ord is a whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands and is the only remaining single malt scotch whisky distillery on the Black Isle. Its principal product is an eponymous 12-year old single malt whisky...

 and two years later the Dewar Brothers took their company to join the union - the Distillers Company Ltd - both joining the board.

Dewar Challenge Shield

Dewar created several Challenge Shields for various sports around the United Kingdom and abroad, as well as the Sheriff of London Charity Shield

Sheriff of London Charity Shield

The Sheriff of London Charity Shield was an English football competition played once a year between an amateur and a professional side in England.The first game was played on March 19, 1898, after being devised by Sir Thomas Dewar...

 and the Dewar Cup

Dewar Cup

The Sir Thomas Dewar Cup, more commonly known as the Dewar Cup, was the trophy awarded to the winner of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition. It is named after Sir Thomas Dewar as a tribute to his works promoting soccer in the U.S. in the early 1900s...

 in the United States for Association football. For cycling he donated The Dewar Challenge Shield in 1904, a heavily embossed silver plaque depicting goddesses and illusions to Scotland to include thistles and a profile of a racing cyclist centrally mounted. It is inscribed; ‘Theatrical Sports Five Miles Cycling Championship Shield’ – ‘Presented by Sir Thomas Dewar MP – To be won Three Years in Succession’. Mounted on a shaped wooden mount, it possesses 14 silver name plaques of winners between 1904 and 1928, with J. A. Hickling winning in 1909, 1922, 1923, 1926, 1927 and an outright win in 1928. 31-inches high, 26-inches wide. The plaque was manufactured by Vaugtons of Birmingham.