Rowntree, B(enjamin) Seebohm

English entrepreneur and philanthropist. He used much of the money he acquired as chair (1925–41) of the family firm of confectioners, H I Rowntree, to fund investigations into social conditions. His writings include Poverty, A Study of Town Life (1901), a landmark in empirical sociology (study supported by observed evidence). The three Rowntree Trusts, which were founded by his father Joseph Rowntree (1836–1925) in 1904, fund research into housing, social care, and social policy, support projects relating to social justice, and give grants to pressure groups working in these areas.