GEORGE F. JOWETT died on July 11, 1969. Many iron game followers knew him as one of the world’s most adept wrestlers and weightlifters of his time.
He was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England in 1891 and emigrated at an early age to the North American continent, where from humble beginnings working as a blacksmith, he so advanced himself, that within a few years he had formed the “American Athletic Appliance Company” (the largest manufacturing concern of its kind in the world). Later, he founded the famous “Jowett Institute”, and built up one of the world’s greatest “Muscle-by-Mail-Order” businesses. His courses were so successful that they were adopted by several universities and by the armed services of many countries.
But his interests did not stop at muscle building, even though right up until his death he was acutely interested in all aspects of the iron game. He had just invented a new arm exerciser in the form of an iron ”shoe” apparatus.
G.F.J. retired from his own business interests in the 1940’s, having become financially secure for the rest of his days. But he didn’t retire as a worker. He spent the last quarter of a century busily writing, inventing, organizing, lecturing and working for many committees and associations. For two decades he was People’s Warden of his community church, and was forever trying to better the lot of his local area residents. He raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the restoration of old buildings and churches. As the years rolled by he became more and more interested in history and created numerous factual manuscripts for the North American Historical Archives. G.F.J. was noted for helping the underprivileged, and took a special delight in aiding these people. He was chairman of his district industrial committee, chairman of the planning and rehabilitation board of his township and helped with vast projects like the St. Lawrence Seaway project in his area.
He was probably most famous for his “molding” library of 14 books all devoted to the building up of the human body. He wrote an excellent biography of the great Louis Cyr: “The Strongest Man That Ever Lived.” Also he wrote: “Quebec, Cradle of Strongmen,” “The Anatomy of Muscular Leverage,” “The Key to Might and Muscle,” “Sex and the Bodybuilder,” “Corrective Exercise,” and “Remedial Gymnastics,” the latter being a basic work on physio-therapy. His greatest work “The Drama of the Lost Disciples” became a world best seller and was serialized on radio and television.
George Fiusdale Jowett was most definitely one of the founders of modern bodybuilding and to all his business associates he will long remain a respected figure; to all his acquaintances, a true and valued friend. Besides his wife, Bessie, he is survived by one daughter, Phyllis.
A book could be filled with the exploits of this great man, but as a special tribute I have asked Peary Rader to print my favourite story told by G.F.J., first published many years ago in “Strength” magazine. It was a beautifully written account in which we can all identify, based on the guts in battle of the underdog. Here with his permission to reprint, given only a few weeks before his death, is the true account of an early sea voyage from his native England; a voyage to a land in which he was to make fame and fortune, a land he loved and worked ceaselessly to better, a land in which he now finally rests in peace.
This article originally appeared in Iron Man magazine
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