James Finlayson

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For the comic actor of the 1920s and '30s, see Jimmy Finlayson.

James Finlayson (1771-1852)

James Finlayson (1771-1852) was a Scottish Quaker who, in effect, took the Industrial Revolution to Tampere, Finland.

James Finlayson was born 1771 in Glasgow, Scotland and became a self-trained engineer. He moved, in 1817, to St. Petersburg to found a textile factory with the backing of the tsar Alexander I of Russia.

In 1819 Finlayson visited the Grand Duchy of Finland, at the time under Russian rule. During his religious mission to sell bibles he visited Tampere. The next year Finlayson received a permission from the Senate of Finland to build a factory in Tampere using the water power from the Tammerkoski river, again with the backing of the tsar. He moved to Tampere with his wife Margaret Finlayson.

At first Finlayson had to import machinists from England to train new workers. The first factory was completed 1823 with the aid of state loan; with the stipulation that the technology employed could be freely inspected by the public to further civic technological advancement. He manufactured machinery suitable for a textile industry but in 1828 switched from machine manufacture to cotton mills. He also founded a Quaker orphanage.

On March 1, 1836 Finlayson sold the factory to Georg Rauch and Karl Samuel Nottbeck in the condition that they would retain his name in the factory. New owners complied and founded Finlayson & Compagnie. Finlayson worked in an advisory capacity for a couple of years before he moved back to Scotland.

The company grew to be Tampere's largest employer, employing at best over 3000 people. It still produces textiles. In 1995 the old factories in the center of Tampere were closed down and the old buildings converted to a business and entertainment district.

A weaving hall, completed in 1877 and at the time the largest in the Nordic countries housed a total of 1200 power looms. It was named Plevna after the Siege of Pleven. It now houses several movie theaters and restaurants.