Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Inverforth
Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Inverforth,
Life
Andrew Weir was born in
After attending the high school at Kirkcaldy, Andrew went to work for the Commercial Bank of Scotland. He soon moved to Glasgow. Shortly after his twentieth birthday, he bought a sailing ship, the barque Willowbank, which he employed in the coasting trade. The next year Weir began building sailing ships of modern design and within a few years had built up a fleet of 52. In 1896 Weir moved to London and started converting his fleet from sail to steam. In 1905 he established the Bank Line, which became the leading British shipping line.
During the
In January 1919, after the war had ended, he was appointed Minister of Munitions to close down the supply operation and dispose of unwanted materiel. He remained in office until March 1921. For his services Weir was raised to the peerage as Baron Inverforth, of Southgate in the County of Middlesex on 5 February 1919,[3] and received the American Distinguished Service Medal.[4]
After the war Lord Inverforth invested in diesel-powered ships. He also broadened his business interests, becoming involved in the Marconi group of companies. He was also chairman of the Anglo-Burma Rice Company and of the Wilmer Grain Company, and was also on the board of
Inverforth continued to go to the office four days a week, into his ninety-first year. He died at his home, Inverforth House in Hampstead, on 17 September 1955.[citation needed].
Arms
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Biography
- G. K. S. Hamilton-Edwards, "Weir, Andrew, first Baron Inverforth (1865–1955)", rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
References
- Burkes Peerage, Internet Site
- The London Gazette, Internet Site
- United Kingdom House of Parliament, Internet Site
- War Department, Congressional Medal of Honor(s), Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1919.
Footnotes
- ^ "Surveyor-General of Supplies - Tuesday 24 April 1917 - Hansard - UK Parliament".
- ^ "War Office Supplies (Surveyor-General) - Thursday 26 April 1917 - Hansard - UK Parliament".
- ^ "No. 31168". The London Gazette. 7 February 1919. p. 1956.
- ^ War Department, Congressional Medal of Honors, pg. 993
- ^ Burke's Peerage. 1999.