Career
James Horlick, a pharmacist, carefully developed this product to be a complete nourishment formula for infants and invalids. Horlicks was a concentrated and easily digestible food drink, widely praised. The brothers were born at Ruardean in Gloucestershire.
When they reached their late teens, both men went to London, where James joined a homeopathic chemist in Bond Street and William a saddler in Lisle Street, where he became a full-fledged mechanic.
In 1869, William left for the United States and worked for a year or two with a distant cousin in the quarrying business at Racine, Wisconsin. Meanwhile, James qualified as a pharmacist (also in 1869).
Before leaving England in 1873, he was working on a dried infant food prepared from malt and bran to mix with milk and water. Two years later, they moved the business to larger premises at Racine, Wisconsin, in part because of the availability of an abundant supply of spring water.
In 1883, they secured United States. patent 278,967 for first malted milk drink mixing powder with hot water.
In 1890, James returned to London to set up an office for importing the United States.-made product. In 1906, Slough was selected as site for new factory. In 1914, James was made a baronet.
During World War I, his nutritional drink was popular both at home and in the overseas services.
James married Margaret Adelaide Burford in 1873.
