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Pearson, however, started life as a very different company. Founded by Samuel Pearson in 1844, as S Pearson and Son, the company began as a small building firm in Yorkshire, England. Under the leadership of Weetman Pearson (later known as Lord Cowdray), Pearson became one of the world's largest building contractors working across Europe, China and Latin America.
Pearson's publishing interests began in the 1920's, with the purchase of Westminster Press, a group of provincial newspapers in the UK. Some thirty years later saw the acquisition of the Financial Times, and Longman publishing was added to the portfolio in 1968. Penguin was acquired just two years later and math and science publisher Addison-Wesley purchased and merged with Longman in 1988. Ten years later, Pearson Education is created. The next twenty years see a raft of acquisitions including Dorling Kindersley, NCS, Rough Guides, Edexcel and AGS Publishing. Disposals in this period include The Tussauds Group, Lazard's and a stake in the RTL Group and Recoletos.
For further information about the history of Pearson, click here
