ROBERT KEDIE

    THE late managing partner of the firm of Stewart & McDonald was born at Hawick, Roxburghshire, 16th March, 1844, and having lost both parents while still a child, was brought up by his uncle, William Kedie, a prominent merchant in that town. He was educated at Hawick Grammar School and at a school connected with the Episcopal Church. Afterwards he served an apprenticeship of four years with his uncle. Two years later he came to Glasgow to complete his business training, but having entered the employment of Messrs. Stewart & McDonald he finally determined, to the great regret but with the full consent of his uncle, to remain there. The firm showed its appreciation of his ability by appointing him manager of several of its most important departments in succession. In 1881, on the death of Mr. A. B. Stewart, the senior partner, Mr. Kedie was appointed general manager of the business, and when in the following year Mr. Crombie, another partner, died, he attained the position of managing partner, from which he only retired in 1909.
    Under Mr. Kedie's control the business made great new departures in clothing manufacture, and made strong efforts to put an end to the pernicious system of "forward-dating" of invoices, which had become an abuse in the drapery trade. Besides the Buchanan Street warehouse the firm has now great factories at Leeds, Strabane, and Rutherglen Road, Glasgow. It has branches in all the great towns of Britain and the self-governing colonies, and it employs some two thousand hands.
    Mr. Kedie is an ex-Director of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and of the Glasgow Night Asylum for the Houseless, an ex-Deacon of the Trades' House, an ex-President of the Commercial Travellers' Benefit Society. He is a Trustee of the Glasgow Savings Bank, a member of the Merchants' House, a Director of the Athenaeum, and Vice-President of the Western Infirmary. He is a Justice of the Peace for the County of Lanark, and a justice of the Peace and Deputy-Lieutenant for the County of the City of Glasgow.
    In 1877 he married a daughter of the late Mr. William Forsyth, and has two daughters and a son.

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