John Arthur Dewar

John Arthur Dewar had had his father’s balanced judgment and the same devotion to public duty. After an interesting University career, during which he rowed in the Oxford crew in 1906, he travelled widely for the House. Then came the first World War, during which he served in the Scottish Horse and The Black Watch. He was also an Honorary Colonel of The 6th Black Watch and a Brigadier in the Royal Company of Archers, the King’s Bodyguard for Scotland. After the war of 1914-18 he followed in his father’s footsteps as Lord Provost of Perth and gave much service to his county and his country. Nevertheless, he carried on the family tradition of devotion to business and no higher tribute can be paid to his knowledge of the trade and his business acumen than that he was chosen to be the Chairman of the great Distillers Company.

Mr. John Arthur Dewar was early in the business and became, like all the Dewars, a world traveller. He had been three times round the world and it is to him that Dewars owe the creation of their South American business. He inherited his uncle’s sporting interests as well as his stud. Just as his uncle brought off the
Waterloo Cup at his first attempt, so Mr. J. A. Dewar carried off the Derby in the first year of his ownership, with ‘Cameronian.’ It was a most popular win, especially North of the Tweed, for Scotland was on it to a man, as a Glasgow book-maker said, “ to the very last deacon “—and it took the Scottish bookmakers years to recover
from the shock. Mr. J. A. Dewar has given much time and money to hospital work. He rebuilt the Gordon Hospital at his own expense, the first London hospital to be given by a single donor since the days of Thomas Guy, and a fine continuance of the family tradition of benevolence.

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