Editing Alexander MacRae

{{Short description|Australian businessman}}
{{For|those of a similar name|Alexander McRae (disambiguation)}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2012}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Alexander MacRae
| image              = 
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = Alexander John MacRae
| birth_date         = 25 December 1888<ref>''New Zealand, World War I Service Records, 1914-1920''</ref>
| birth_place        = [[Applecross]], [[Ross, Scotland|Ross]], [[Scotland]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|df=y|1938|11|30|1889|12|25}}
| death_place        = [[Ashfield, New South Wales]], Australia
| nationality        = Scottish
| other_names        = 
| education          = 
| occupation         = {{ublist|[[Entrepreneur]]|[[Manufacturer]]}}
| employer           = 
| known_for          = Founder of [[Speedo]]
| title              = 
| term               = 
| predecessor        = 
| successor          = 
| party              = 
| boards             = 
| spouse             = Martha MacRae
| children           = 6
| parents            = {{ublist|Murdo MacRae|Mary}}
| relatives          = 
}}
'''Alexander John MacRae''' (25 December 1889 &ndash; 30 November 1938) was a sports [[Entrepreneurship|entrepreneur]] and clothing [[Manufacturing|manufacturer]].  Born in [[Scotland]], he emigrated to [[Australia]] where, in 1914, he founded the company that became the [[swimwear]] giant [[Speedo]].

==Biography==
===Early life===
MacRae was born in 1889 in [[Applecross]], [[Ross, Scotland]], the son of Murdo and Annie MacRae.<ref>''1901 Scotland Census''</ref><ref>''Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985''</ref>  In 1910, he immigrated to Australia.

===Career===
It was in 1914 that he founded the [[hosiery]] company MacRae Knitting Mills in Regent St Sydney, Australia.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} In 1918, the company moved into a larger factory in Camperdown. The company was growing quickly, which required more space to manufacture what was becoming an icon of Australia. In 1928, a competition was held to see who could come up with a new name for the business.  The name "Speedo" was born and it is the company's name to this day.<ref>{{cite web|title=INDUSTRIES & COMMERCE: SPEEDO KNITTING MILLS PTY LIMITED|url=http://www.willoughbydhs.org.au/History/Industries/Speedo.html|work=willoughbydhs.org.au|accessdate=8 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022080617/http://www.willoughbydhs.org.au/History/Industries/Speedo.html|archive-date=22 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Later, he flew to America and set the business up there.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

===Personal life===
He married Martha MacRae. They had five sons and a daughter: Alisdair, William, James, Ronald, Duncan, and Jean. All of their sons became directors of Speedo. MacRae died on {{start date|1938|11|30|df=y}}, aged 50.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.clan-macrae.org.uk/scotland/articles.cfm?ID=41 |title=People: Alexander MacRae - Speedo |website=www.clan-macrae.org.uk |access-date=2017-06-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923204503/http://www.clan-macrae.org.uk/scotland/articles.cfm?ID=41 |archivedate=2015-09-23 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macrae, Alexander}}
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1938 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:Scottish sports businesspeople]]
[[Category:Australian sports businesspeople]]
[[Category:Scottish company founders]]
[[Category:Scottish emigrants to Australia]]
[[Category:Scottish businesspeople in fashion]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish businesspeople]]
[[Category:Speedo]]


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