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Sir (Cyril) Arthur Pearson

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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"SIR (CYRIL) ARTHUR PEARSON (1866-1921), English newspaper proprietor and philanthropist, was born at Wookey, near Wells, Feb. 24 1866, and was educated at Winchester. He early founded the business of C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd., newspaper proprietors and publishers; and after having made large profits with Pearson's Weekly and other periodicals he founded in 1900 the Daily Express, a halfpenny rival to the Daily Mail, and in 1904 purchased the Standard (see 19.560, 561). He was a strong supporter of Mr. Chamberlain's tariff-reform movement. In 1910 increasing - later complete - failure of sight obliged him to retire from the active direction of newspapers. Henceforth he devoted himself and his fortune with whole-hearted industry to efforts to ameliorate the condition of the blind. During the World War he established at his house, St. Dunstan's, in Regent's Park, London, a hospital for blinded soldiers, and became chairman of the Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Care Committee (1914). He also became president of the National Institution for the Blind. He was created a baronet in 1916 and G.B.E. in the first gazette of the new Order of the British Empire in 1917. He died in London Dec. 9 1921. Having been eager to encourage those among the blind who cannot command attendance, he had made it his practice to have his bath unaided, but on this occasion he accidently slipped, was stunned by striking his head on a tap and suffocated while unconscious, his face under water.