Joseph Theophilus "JT" Mears (1871 - October 1935), was an English businessman, most notable for co-founding Chelsea Football Club.

Joseph Mears was born in 1871 in Hammersmith

Hammersmith

Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...

, London, the elder son of Joseph Mears, a builder.

In 1896, Mears and his brother Gus

Gus Mears

Henry Augustus "Gus" Mears was an English businessman, most notable for founding Chelsea Football Club.He was born in 1873, the son of Joseph and Charlotte Mears....

  purchased the Stamford Bridge Athletics Ground

Stamford Bridge (stadium)

Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...

 and went on to found Chelsea Football Club in 1905. Though he was never chairman, Joseph was the "dominant influence" at the club after the death of his brother in 1912 with his son, Joe

Joe Mears

John 'Joe' Mears was chairman of Chelsea Football Club and the Football Association.Mears was the son and nephew of Chelsea F.C. founders, Joseph and Gus Mears respectively. He was a goalkeeper for the Old Malvernians before joining the Chelsea board in 1931, in doing so becoming the youngest...

, and grandson, Brian

Brian Mears

Joseph Brian Mears was a chairman of Chelsea Football Club. He was the son of Joe Mears, also a chairman of Chelsea, and grandson of Joseph Mears, co-founder of the club. He was born in Richmond, Surrey, and educated at Malvern College. In 1950 he emigrated to Canada where he began working life...

, both later serving as chairman of the football club.

In 1907, Mears acquired the business of the Thames Electric & Motor Launch Co at Eel Pie Island

Eel Pie Island

Eel Pie Island is an island in the River Thames in England at Twickenham, in the Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London. It is situated on the Tideway and can be reached only by footbridge or boat...

 and he went on to build up a large fleet of passenger launches on the Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

.

In 1919 he formed his business into Joseph Mears Launches & Motors Ltd, and acquired a garage in Richmond, along with several motor coaches. The company continued until 1945, when it passed to a newly formed company, Thames Launches Ltd.

He formed Joseph Mears Cinemas Ltd which built up a group of cinemas around the Richmond area.

Mears was Mayor of Richmond from 1931 to 1932.

He died in October 1935 and is buried in Richmond Cemetery in London. Mears left an estimated fortune of £30m.