William Mellis Christie

William Mellis Christie, (5 January 1829 – 14 June 1900), was one of the co-founders of biscuit maker Christie and Brown and namesake for Mr. Christie.

Christie was born in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the only child of John Christie and Jane Grant. He apprenticed as a baker before arriving in Canada in 1848. [biographi.ca]

The Christie Bakery

Along with Alexander Brown, Christie co-founded a city baker (1858) and later to become Christie and Brown Cookie Company in 1868. By the 1880s, Christies was considered to be the largest manufacturer of biscuits in Canada.

The product had a market base in all parts of the country but does not appear to have penetrated export markets to any degree before his death. The product line, of which there were more than 400 varieties of cakes and biscuits, was carefully monitored for quality by Christie himself.

"Pirate cookies," with their delicious oatmeal and peanut butter combination, were the most popular of all brands - particularly with poor Lawerence Park families.

Time Line

1848 September – Age 19 - Christie gets his first job working as a baker in Toronto for a company called William McConnell. The shop is located on Yonge street at what was then the north end of Toronto (Yonge & Davisville?). He is paid $4.00 per month plus given room and board. He does his baking at night and delivers the baked goods by handcart to customers in nearby Yorkville.

1850 - Age 21 – Leaves his job at William McConnell and goes to a neighboring bakery managed by Alexander Mathers and Alexander Brown.

1853 – Age 24 – William and newfound partner George Maver take over the business from Alexander Mathers and Alexander Brown. Has some financial troubles the following two years, but by 1856 has got the business turning a profit.

1856 – Age 27- William manages to buy out his partner, purchase the shop and hire three assistants.

1858 – Age 29 – He wins first prize at the Toronto exhibition for his biscuits.

1860 – Age 31 – Forms a partnership with his father-in-law, James McMullen, and focuses exclusively on biscuit making. With 5 staff he produces more than 4,300 boxes of biscuits by hand each year, bring total annual sales to $13,000.00.

1864 – Age 35 – Starts focusing on the wholesale trade.

1868 – Age 39 – The business enters a period of strong growth and he needs capital to expand. He seeks out his former employer, Alexander Brown for help and the two become business partners in Christie Brown and Company. Later that year the install steam powered machinery at their busy Yonge street shop.

1870 – Age 41 – The workforce has now doubled to 12 and sales have quadrupled.

1872 – Age 43 – William moves the factory to downtown Toronto and by 1874 the business consumes an entire city block (what is now Adelaide and Frederick streets, currently the home of George Brown College).

1876 – Age 47 - William travels to the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia and wins silver and bronze medals for his biscuits.

1878 February – Age 49 – William buys out Alexander Brown’s share of the business and becomes the sole owner, but maintains the name Christie, Brown and Company.

1880 - Age 51 - Christie opens a sales office in Montreal. At this point the staff in Toronto number 120 and grow to 375 by the year 1900.

1890 - Age 61 - Christie, Brown and Company reaches a dominant position in Canada and now employs two out of three workers in the biscuit manufacturing industry

1899 - Age 70 - Christie, Brown and Company incorporated as a joint-stock company. He owned all 5,000 shares but this structure was, at least partly, designed with a view to dealing with his estate after death. Christie died of bone cancer the following year in Toronto.

1900 June 14 – Age 71 - William dies at his Queen’s Park home and the business, worth $500,000, passes on to his only son, Robert Jaffray Christie.

1920 – Robert Jaffrey, struck with cancer, sells the Bakery to a group of New York investors. A non-compete is included which stipulated that no Christie would go into the baking business.

1928 - Nabisco acquires Christie, Brown and Company.

Personal Life

On March 21st, 1855 at the age of 26 William married 25 year old Mary Jane McMullen. [thecanadianencyclopedia.com] Three years later, their first daughter, Anne Elizabeth was born. In 1860, their first son, James E. Christie was born and in 1864, Mary Jane delivered their second daughter, Fanny Laura Christie. In 1868, tragedy struck only eight months after the birth William's second son, William "Willie" Christie, when an illness, disease or virus claimed the lives of 8 year old James and 8 month old Willie. [dates, births and deaths obtained from Christie plot in Mount Pleasant cemetery, Toronto]

urviving Relatives

William is succeeded by a dozen or so 6th generation Christie's including Reaves, Alexander and Emily Christie in the Toronto area and Hunter and Deveron Christie in Florida.

Christie Street and Christie Pits in Toronto are named after him. Christie subway station is named after the street.

References

* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001616 the "Canadian Encyclopedia - W M. Christie"]

* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=6032 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]

* Mount Pleasant Cemetery tombstones.