Joseph Rowntree (philanthropist)

Joseph Rowntree
Born	(1836-05-24)24 May 1836 York, England
Died	24 February 1925(1925-02-24) (aged 88) York, England[1]
Burial place	The Retreat, York, England
Occupation	Chocolatier
Spouses	Julia Seebohm ​ ​ (m. 1862; died 1863)​ Emma Seebohm ​ ​ (m. 1867)​
Children	6, including Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree
Father	Joseph Rowntree
Relatives	Henry Isaac Rowntree (brother) John Stephenson Rowntree (brother)
Website	Rowntree Society

Joseph Rowntree (24 May 1836 – 24 February 1925) was an English Quaker philanthropist and businessman from York. Rowntree is perhaps best known for being a champion of social reform, partner and friend of Charles Booth, and his time as a chocolatier at the family business Rowntree's, one of the most important in Britain. Even as a powerful businessman, he was deeply interested in improving the quality of life of his employees; this led to him becoming a philanthropist, pursuing many charitable causes.

In 1904 he created three trusts, the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust (JRVT) which was originally set up to build and manage the garden village of New Earswick, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) and the Joseph Rowntree Social Services Trust (JRSST). He suggested that only the JRVT would be permanent, but all the trusts are still in existence. The Social Services Trust has changed its name to the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, and with the separation of the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust from the Village Trust in 1968, there are now four trusts.^{[citation needed]}