Frederick John Horniman

Frederick John Horniman (8 October 1835 – 5 March 1906) was an English tea trader, collector and public benefactor.

He was the son of John Horniman, who established a tea business using mechanical packaging. In 1891, it was said to be the biggest tea company in the world.

He founded the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, south London. In 1901, he gave the museum to London County Council for use by the people of London [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography article by Michael Horniman, "Horniman, Frederick John (1835–1906)" [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/33994] accessed 21 Nov 2006. ] .

He was a member of the London County Council, and Liberal Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmouth in Cornwall from 1895 until 1906.

His son Emslie John Horniman (1863 – 1932) ["Who was Who"] was Liberal MP for Chelsea (1906–10). He continued to develop the museum, and was a noted art collector and patron in his own right, who rebuilt his homes at Burford Priory in Oxfordshire (under Walter Godfrey) and at Garden Corner, Chelsea (under C.F.A. Voysey).

His daughter, Annie Horniman (1860-1937), worked in theatre, being a founder of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.

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