William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie
Encyclopedia
William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, KP, PC (Ire)
(31 May 1847 – 6 June 1924) was a leading Irish
shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland and Wolff
, shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast
between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921.
, Canada
, the son of James Alexander Pirrie and Eliza (née Montgomery), who were both Irish. He was taken back to Ireland when he was two years old and spent his childhood at Conlig
, County Down
. Belonging to a prominent family, his nephews included Prime Minister John Miller Andrews, Thomas Andrews, builder of the Titanic and Sir James Andrews, 1st Baronet
, the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
.
before entering Harland and Wolff
shipyard as a gentleman apprentice in 1862. Twelve years later he was made a partner in the firm, and on the death of Sir Edward Harland in 1895 he became its chairman, a position he was to hold until his death. As well as overseeing the world's largest shipyard, Pirrie was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast
in 1896, and was re-elected to the office as well as made an Irish Privy Counsellor
the following year. He became Belfast's first honorary freeman in 1898, and served in the same year as High Sheriff of Antrim
and subsequently of County Down. He helped finance the Liberals
in Ulster
in the 1906 general election
, and that same year, at the height of Harland and Wolff's success, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Pirrie, of the City of Belfast. The following year he was appointed Comptroller of the Household to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and in 1908 he appointed Knight of St Patrick (KP).
Lord Pirrie was jeered in the streets after chairing a famous meeting of the Ulster Liberal Association addressed by Winston Churchill
. That same year he was to travel aboard the Titanic, but illness prevented him from joining the ill-fated passage. Pro-Chancellor of the Queen's University, Belfast from 1908 to 1914, Lord Pirrie was also in the years before the First World War
a member of the Committee on Irish Finance as well as Lieutenant for the City of Belfast
(both 1911). During the war he was a member of the War Office Supply Board, and in 1918 became Comptroller-General of Merchant Shipbuilding, organising British
production of merchant ships.
In 1921 Pirrie was elected to the Northern Ireland Senate
, and that same year was created Viscount Pirrie, of the City of Belfast, in the honours for the opening of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
in July 1921, for his war work and charity work.
whilst on a business trip to South America
. His body was brought back on White Star Line
's RMS Olympic
and was buried in Belfast City Cemetery
. The barony and viscountcy died with him. Lady Pirrie died in June 1935. In 1909, Lord Pirrie bought Witley Park
, formerly the residence of Whitaker Wright
. In the 1900s, he built the Temple of the Four Winds near the Devil's Punchbowl, Hindhead
. The octagonal plinth still remains. A memorial to Pirrie was unveiled in the grounds of Belfast City Hall
in 2006.
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Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
(31 May 1847 – 6 June 1924) was a leading Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
, shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast
Lord Mayor of Belfast
The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairman of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 51 councillors.The Lord Mayor is Niall Ó Donnghaile of Sinn Féin, while the Deputy Lord Mayor is Ruth Patterson of the Democratic Unionist Party, who were elected in May 2011.The...
between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921.
Background
Pirrie was born in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the son of James Alexander Pirrie and Eliza (née Montgomery), who were both Irish. He was taken back to Ireland when he was two years old and spent his childhood at Conlig
Conlig
Conlig is a village and townland about halfway between Bangor and Newtownards in County Down, Northern Ireland.-Mining:The area includes extant ancient copper mines. Weapons forged with the copper from this mine have been found across Europe, and was traded for tin from Cornwall during the Bronze...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
. Belonging to a prominent family, his nephews included Prime Minister John Miller Andrews, Thomas Andrews, builder of the Titanic and Sir James Andrews, 1st Baronet
Sir James Andrews, 1st Baronet
Sir James Andrews, 1st Baronet, KC, PC was the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and brother of Prime Minister John Miller Andrews and Thomas Andrews, builder of the Titanic.-Early life:...
, the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
The Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is the head of the judiciary in Northern Ireland, presiding over the Courts of Northern Ireland. The present Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland is Sir Declan Morgan...
.
Career
Pirrie was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical InstitutionRoyal Belfast Academical Institution
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, is a Grammar School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Locally referred to as Inst, the school educates boys from ages 11–18...
before entering Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
shipyard as a gentleman apprentice in 1862. Twelve years later he was made a partner in the firm, and on the death of Sir Edward Harland in 1895 he became its chairman, a position he was to hold until his death. As well as overseeing the world's largest shipyard, Pirrie was elected Lord Mayor of Belfast
Lord Mayor of Belfast
The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairman of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 51 councillors.The Lord Mayor is Niall Ó Donnghaile of Sinn Féin, while the Deputy Lord Mayor is Ruth Patterson of the Democratic Unionist Party, who were elected in May 2011.The...
in 1896, and was re-elected to the office as well as made an Irish Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
the following year. He became Belfast's first honorary freeman in 1898, and served in the same year as High Sheriff of Antrim
High Sheriff of Antrim
The High Sheriff of Antrim is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Antrim. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258...
and subsequently of County Down. He helped finance the Liberals
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
in the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, and that same year, at the height of Harland and Wolff's success, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Pirrie, of the City of Belfast. The following year he was appointed Comptroller of the Household to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and in 1908 he appointed Knight of St Patrick (KP).
Lord Pirrie was jeered in the streets after chairing a famous meeting of the Ulster Liberal Association addressed by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. That same year he was to travel aboard the Titanic, but illness prevented him from joining the ill-fated passage. Pro-Chancellor of the Queen's University, Belfast from 1908 to 1914, Lord Pirrie was also in the years before the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
a member of the Committee on Irish Finance as well as Lieutenant for the City of Belfast
Lord Lieutenant of Belfast
The Lord Lieutenant of Belfast is the official representative of the Queen for the 'County Borough of Belfast', Northern Ireland. The current Lord Lieutenant is Dame Mary Peters who was appointed in August 2009. The position was first created in 1900 and was held by the Marquess of Londonderry...
(both 1911). During the war he was a member of the War Office Supply Board, and in 1918 became Comptroller-General of Merchant Shipbuilding, organising British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
production of merchant ships.
In 1921 Pirrie was elected to the Northern Ireland Senate
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
, and that same year was created Viscount Pirrie, of the City of Belfast, in the honours for the opening of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
in July 1921, for his war work and charity work.
Personal life
Lord Pirrie married Margaret, daughter of John Carlisle, in 1879. He died in June 1924, aged 77, of pneumonia at sea off CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
whilst on a business trip to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. His body was brought back on White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
's RMS Olympic
RMS Olympic
RMS Olympic was the lead ship of the Olympic-class ocean liners built for the White Star Line, which also included Titanic and Britannic...
and was buried in Belfast City Cemetery
Belfast City Cemetery
Belfast City Cemetery is a cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and Springfield Road, near Milltown Cemetery...
. The barony and viscountcy died with him. Lady Pirrie died in June 1935. In 1909, Lord Pirrie bought Witley Park
Witley Park
Witley Park was a 19th-century house and estate in Surrey, near Haslemere.The estate was developed in 1890 by the fabulously wealthy J. Whitaker Wright, as part of extensive land – approximately – he purchased in the Haslemere and Hindhead area....
, formerly the residence of Whitaker Wright
Whitaker Wright
James Whitaker Wright was an exceptionally wealthy English mining company owner. He became infamous when he committed suicide at the Royal Courts of Justice in London immediately following his conviction for fraud....
. In the 1900s, he built the Temple of the Four Winds near the Devil's Punchbowl, Hindhead
Hindhead
Hindhead is a village in Surrey, England, about 11 miles south-west of Guildford. Neighbouring settlements include Haslemere, Grayshott and Beacon Hill. Hindhead is the highest village in Surrey...
. The octagonal plinth still remains. A memorial to Pirrie was unveiled in the grounds of Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Located in Donegall Square, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, it faces north and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre.-History:...
in 2006.
External links
- http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography.php?id=2468Encyclopedia TitanicaEncyclopedia TitanicaEncyclopedia Titanica is an online reference work containing extensive and constantly-updated information on the . The website, a nonprofit endeavor, is a database of passenger and crew biographies, deck plans, and articles submitted by historians or Titanic enthusiasts...
Biography of William Pirrie]
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