Alexander John Harvey
Alexander John Harvey was born in Bermuda in June 1849. After completing his formal education in the United States, Alexander moved to Halifax to work for his father's business, George C. Harvey and Company. In 1865, Alec Harvey moved to St. John's where he established an import/export business, Alex J. Harvey & Company, incorporating it in 1914 as A. Harvey & Company Limited.
In 1901, A. Harvey & Company Limited ventured into the seal fishery sending its ship, the S.S. Virginia Lake, to the front. However, Alexander’s business ventures were not limited to shipping. In 1891, having obtained a lease from the government to mine slate in Smith Sound, Trinity Bay, The Newfoundland Slate Company was formed which for seven years operated the slate quarry and exported their product. Another business venture involved the distribution of coal for domestic, factory, institutional and shipping use. For more than a century, Harvey’s was one of Newfoundland's largest distributors of coal moving thousands of tons annually. Alec Harvey's other business interests included a bakery which produced hard tack, 3X and Tip Top soda crackers.
In 1990, A. Harvey & Company Limited celebrated its 125th anniversary. From modest beginnings, the company has grown to become one of the largest privately held and iversified companies in the province. The company has interests in shipping, petroleum products’ sales and service, real estate, road transportation, marine terminals, bulk salt packaging and distribution, offshore oil support services, customs brokerage and forwarding, tidewater multi-purpose freezer warehousing, recycling systems and through a subsidiary, Browning Harvey Limited, a Pepsi-Cola franchise.
Alexander John Harvey died in September 1928.