Sir Alexander Grant, 1st Baronet

Sir Alexander Grant, 1st Baronet(1 October  1864 – 21 May 1937) was a Scottish businessman, biscuit manufacturer and philanthropist. He was managing director ofMcVitie and Price Ltd., developed the recipe of theMcVitie'sdigestive biscuit, and gave an endowment of £200,000 to help establish theNational Library of Scotland.
Grant was born on 1 October 1864 inForres, the eldest son of Elizabeth Grant (néeNorrie) and Peter Grant (1838–1882), a guard with theHighland Railwayservice. He attended school atForres Academy, and after his father's death he began training in a legal office, however unhappy in this work he changed profession and became an apprentice with a baker in Forres.
On completing his apprenticeship in Forres, Grant moved to Edinburgh in 1888 taking employment as an assistant atRobert McVitie'sbasement bakery at 23 to 25 Queensferry Street.In 1892 Grant developed the original recipe for the famous McVitie'sdigestive biscuit- the recipe remains a secret to this day.
When the company expanded the business to Merchant Street and then on Robertson Avenue, as the St Andrew Biscuit Works factory, Grant was made foreman of the cake department. When that factory burned down in 1894,Grant was sent toMaltonin Yorkshire to organise and carry on production at a temporary factory while the premises in Edinburgh were being rebuilt. On returning to Edinburgh later that year, Grant was made manager of the new operation.
In 1902 the business expanded further and Grant oversaw the building of a new factory inHarlesdenin north London.WhenCharles Edward Priceretired Grant became the general manager, and on McVitie's death in 1910 he purchased a controlling interest in the business. Grant became managing director in 1911 when the business was registered aslimited company.
In 1914 Grant opened a third factory inManchesterwhich went on to supply the government withiron rationbiscuits for the army.
Grant was a generous benefactor, and it was estimated that over his lifetime he gifted more than £750,000 of his own money, often anonymously. In 1923 he gave a permanentendowmentof £100,000 to assist theBritish governmentin reconstitutingThe Advocates Libraryand from it establish theNational Library of Scotland.Lord Macmillan, the Chairman of the National Library Committee, said that when Grant's banker handed him the cheque for the endowment it was signed but the amount left blank for Macmillan to complete himself. Grant later made a further contribution of £100,000 to assist with the building of the Library.
He made many donations for developments in his home town of Forres including gifting four windows for the baptistry of Forres Parish Church, designed by Scottish stained glass window artistDouglas Strachan, a new motorised fire engine, and the town's park, Grant Park, named in his honour.He made an interest free loan of £26,000 to the town of Nairn for the town's harbour scheme, and a £5,000 gift for the reconstruction of the public baths.He also made contributions towards developments inLossiemouth, in particular in support of Lossiemouth golf course.
He supported theUniversity of Edinburghand gave £50,000 to help clear debts incurred as a result of building development. He gave  two gifts of £25,000 to support the building of theUniversity's geology departmentat Drummond Street.
He one was of the main contributors towards the financing ofNational War MemorialatEdinburgh Castle,and  gave thePalace of Holyrooda 4,000 piece silver banqueting service, linen, cutlery and glassware estimated at a cost of £10,000.
Recognising the burden of debt incurred by the UK as a result ofWorld War I, Grant waived, for 5 years, the interest on the £100,000 of war stock that McVitie's had invested in, netting the Government a saving estimated at £25,000.
One of his anonymous donations, revealed inLord Macmillan's eulogy for him, was his support of the publication of SirWalter Scott'sletters.
In supporting retired grocers, he made a donation of £5,000 to theBenevolence Fund of the Scottish Federation of Grocers and Provision Merchants' Association.
On 31 July 1887 Grant married Elizabeth Norris (d. 28 April 1940) the daughter of Alexander Norris, and together they had two daughters and a son named Robert, born 1894.
He was a lifelong friend ofRamsay MacDonald, the firstLabour PartyPrime Ministerof the United Kingdom. MacDonald, without a private income and traveling by public transport to and fromDowning Street, was given aDaimler carby Grant, and a number of McVitie's shares valued at £40,000 to pay for the upkeep of the car. These gifts caused interest in the media and parliament with suggestions that Grant received his baronetcy in return for his gifts.
In June 1924 he was created aBaronetfor public services,and in the same year received an honoraryLL.D.degree from theUniversity of Edinburgh. In 1923 Grant was given thefreedom of the cityof Edinburgh. On 27 August 1932 he was made a freeman of Forres, and his friend Ramsay MacDonald attended the ceremony. He was made afreemanof Nairn in 1932.
After receiving his baronetcy, Grant purchased the 1,500 acres (610 ha) Logie Estate nearDunphail, on theRiver Findhorn. He renovated the estate, adding further buildings.
Grant was a keen golfer and played regularly onNairn Links.Grant was a member of the committee that built and opened London's firstpublic golf courses in Richmond Park, which were opened in 1923 and 1925.
After attending thecoronation of George VI and Queen Elizabethon 12 May 1937 Grant fell ill with a chill which developed in topneumonia. He was attended to byLord Horder, physician to the King. He died at home at 15 Hermitage Drive in Edinburgh on 21 May 1937. On his death Lord Macmillan said of Grant "He liked to live simply himself, but he liked to give magnificently".  He is buried in Forres. His estate was calculated at £1,039,976.