John Wheeley Lea (8 May 1791 – 23 March 1874) was an English pharmacist, sauce manufacturer and company co-founder Biography Lea was born on a farm in Feckenham, Worcestershire, England and had three brothers and four sisters, he aspired to be a chemist as a young child. In 1823 he partnered with William Henry Perrins, opening a drug store in Worcester, and establishing company Lea & Perrins and in 1837 began selling there brand of Worcestershire sauce. Lea was also an alderman and was elected Mayor of Worcester in 1874 but served only three months in office. He died of acute dyspepsia (a fatal stomach disorder where the stomach cannot function properly) on 23 March 1874 at Stanfield House, Upper Wick, Worcestershire, and was buried in the family tomb at St Peter's, Powick. Notes 1791 births 1874 deaths English chemists Mayors of places in Worcestershire 19th-century English people People from Redditch (district) 19th-century British businesspeople Burials in Worcestershire