Lipton, Sir Thomas Johnstone (1850-1931), a British tea merchant, became famous as a yachtsman. From 1899 to 1930, he made five attempts to win the America’s Cup, the highest award of international yachting. Lipton never won the cup, but his sportsmanship in defeat endeared him to Americans.
Lipton began his career as a laborer and grocer’s assistant in the United States from 1865 to 1869. On his twenty-first birthday, he opened in Glasgow, Scotland, the first of a chain of food stores, and in 1890 he entered the tea business. His successful advertising methods made his products widely known.
Lipton was born in Glasgow on May 10, 1850. He left his fortune to his native city for hospitals. Lipton died on Oct. 2, 1931.
