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James Darcy Lever was the co-founder and joint director of manufacturing business Lever Brothers, along with his brother, William Hesketh Lever.

Early Life
James Darcy Lever was born 10 February 1854 in Bolton, to James Lever and Eliza Lever. Early on in his career, he, along with his elder brother William Hesketh Lever, worked for their father James Lever in the family business, Lever & Co - a wholesale grocers in Bolton.

Lever married Annie Kershaw of Bolton on 26 April 1882.

Lever Brothers
In 1885, James, along with his brother William, established a business with chemist William Henry Watson, inventor of a new soap-making process. James was appointed a director of the company, which was named Lever Brothers Limited. Initially they leased the Warrington soap works of Wisner & Co., where they first began manufacturing Sunlight Soap. As demand increased the brothers were in need of more space, so began the construction of a new factory (and adjoining settlement) at 'Port Sunlight'.

Around this time, James and Annie moved to Thornton Hough, 4 miles from Port Sunlight. They had their four children in this period: James Darcy Lever, born 30 August 1887, Robert Lever, born 11 July 1889, Alice Hesketh, born 20 August 1886 and Annie born 17 July 1894.

Illness and Death
Lever fell ill in 1895, probably as a result of diabetes, preventing him from playing a fuller role in the business. He retired due to ill health on 18 February 1898, and died on 29 March 1910 at Thornton Hough.