Thomas Cleeve

Sir Thomas Henry Cleeve (5 June 1844 – 19 December 1908) was a Canadian-born businessman, domiciled in Ireland, who was elected High Sheriff of Limerick City on three occasions. Background Thomas Cleeve was born in Cleveland, Quebec in Canada, and was the eldest son of Edward Elmes Cleeve, an English immigrant, and Sophia Journeaux, whose family came from Ireland. Business career In 1860 Thomas Cleeve travelled to Ireland to stay with his mother's relatives who ran an agricultural machinery business in Limerick known as J.P. Evans & Company. Young Thomas decided to remain in Ireland and eventually assumed control of the business. In 1883, Cleeve started a new enterprise, the Condensed Milk Company of Ireland, in conjunction with two local businessmen. The company manufactured dairy products, such as condensed milk, butter, cheese and confectionery. Its headquarters were located in Limerick city, on the northern bank of the River Shannon. The business expanded over the next 20 years to become the largest of its type in the United Kingdom.