William Jardine was born in 1784 on a farm near Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. William began acquiring scholastic credentials at a young age, and in the year of 1800, he enlisted in the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He took classes in medical practices, and was most likely apprenticed to a surgeon during that time. Jardine graduated Edinburgh Medical School on March 2nd, 1802, and received his diploma from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. After graduating, he obtained a job with the British East India Company, a local shipping company who traded goods with numerous countries, including China. William was paid in advance for two months of salary as a surgeon's mate, and headed out to sea to make a living in the company’s Maritime Marine Service. 

One benefit of employment with the British East India Company was the allotment of a personal cargo space onboard the ship. Another, was that sailors were allowed to trade in goods for their own profit. Jardine used these opportunities to their full potential, even leasing spaces from other sailors who had no interest in using them. Williams' personal trading became so profitable that he quit working for the British East India Company and began the plans for starting his own company. Jardine enlisted the help of James Matheson, son of a Scottish baronet, to form an enterprise for the China trade. James and his nephew, Alexander Matheson, joined the firm Magniac, Jardine & Co., as junior partners in 1827. Within the firm, Jardine had a reputation as the master planner, negotiator, and strategist. Matheson, on the other hand, was known as the organizational man who handled the correspondence and finance accounting for the company. Their opposite attributes complimented each other perfectly, and their business was off to a booming start. In 1833, Parliament removed the license of the British East India Company. Jardine and Matheson realized the implications and rushed in to fill the void left by the East India Company. After years of lucrative business, Jardine’s company became the frontrunner in Chinese trade with Britain. With 19 intercontinental clipper ships and hundreds of smaller ships, Jardine was able to stay far ahead of the competition. With his business operation at 110% he was able to undertake a dream of his that was long in the making.

In 1842 William Jardine published “The Naturalist’s Library”. The books were divided into four phylum categories: Ornithology, Mammalia, Entomology, and Ichthyology, and each category (or set) contained 40 volumes. Each volume included hand colored illustrations of various types of birds, mammals, fish, and insects as well as a description and the properties of each one. These books were leather-bound for durability and each was approximately 4 x 5 inches, so they would fit into a small child’s hands. A complete “encyclopedia of nature” depicting virtually every known species of the time was non-existent until now. With this publication Jardine made the study of these organisms available to anyone who could read. 

Jardine died a bachelor and his nephews, David and Andrew Jardine, continued to assist James Matheson in running the company. Matheson retired as manager in 1843 and turned the job over to David, who stayed on until 1874. The Jardine Matheson Group is still very much active in Hong Kong, and is still primarily controlled by members of the Jardine family.