Silas Burroughs, the Man who Made Wellcome

The first biography of the business brain behind Burroughs Wellcome & Co.

Silas Burroughs arrived in London from America in 1878 and proved himself an exceptional entrepreneur, taking the pharmaceutical business by storm. He was the brains and energy behind Burroughs Wellcome & Co. With his business partner Henry Wellcome he created an internationally successful firm, the legacy of which can be found in the charity the Wellcome Trust, yet few now remember him and the impact he made in his short lifetime. A consummate salesman, Burroughs was also an astute businessman, with new ideas for marketing, advertising and manufacturing: his writings describe sales trips around the world and the people he met. He was also a visionary employer who supported the eight-hour working day, profit-sharing, and numerous social and radical political movements, including the single tax movement, free travel, Irish Home Rule and world peace. In this first biography of Burroughs, Julia Sheppard explores his American origins, his religion and marriage, and his philanthropic work, as well as re-evaluating the dramatic deterioration of his relationship with his partner Wellcome.

• By (author) Julia Sheppard

"For too long, Silas Burroughs has stood in the shadows of his partner, Henry Wellcome. In this insightful and revealing book Julia Sheppard does a superb job of redressing the balance, revealing Burroughs's childhood and education, and his increasingly difficult relationship with Wellcome. Based on extensive original research, this is a beautifully written and entertaining biography." Stuart Anderson, Emeritus Professor of Pharmacy History, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine "Besides a thoroughly engaging story of the American-born entrepreneur, manufacturer and advertising innovator, Julia Sheppard has also given us an important and fascinating insight into the history of the British drug industry and the making of a global pharmaceutical market. This is biography at its very best." John Harley Warner, Avalon Professor of the History of Medicine, Yale University "Julia Sheppard has written the definitive biography of Silas Burroughs, the dynamic young American behind one of Victorian Britain's most successful (yet fraught) business partnerships, a major forerunner of today's Big Pharma." Christine Macleod, Professor Emerita of History, University of Bristol "Julia Sheppard sets the record straight with an enlightening account of Silas Burroughs's life and the importance of the part he played in the creation of an extraordinarily successful institution." Anne Hardy, Honorary Professor, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine "There's much in this book for the business historian. For one thing, it reveals how marketing was done through feet on the ground and knocks on doors. For another, it gives insight into complex partnership dynamics." John Orbell, Business Archivist and Business Historian "Silas Burroughs' early death, and his bitter feud with his partner Henry Wellcome, has relegated him to a minor role in the story of their pharmaceutical empire. Julia Sheppard's absorbing biography recovers his vital contribution to their joint enterprise, and sets it in the context of a vigorous life of commercial success, globetrotting travels and excursions into radical politics." Mike Jay, Author and Cultural Historian "Author Julia Sheppard charts Burroughs' early life in America, his brilliance as a scientist and his extraordinary work ethic. She also discusses how his experiences shaped his deep-rooted belief in social justice, and the relationship between Burroughs and WellcomeMs Sheppard's richly detailed biography brings alive a period of massive technological and social change, and charts the career of a key figure in an industry that changed the world. It's a fitting tribute to a person who deserves to be recognised." Dan Carrier, Camden New Journal, June 2022
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