George Augustus Lee
George Augustus Lee (1761 – 5 August 1826) was a British industrialist. His
Early life
He was the only son of the actor-manager John Lee. The authors Sophia Lee and Harriet Lee were his sisters.[1]
In the 1780s he was a clerk at
The Salford mill
Lee's character was described in an obituary: "Mr. Lee became early imbued with a love of the sciences, and was afterwards remarkable for the extent and precision of his acquirements in them. He had a quick and almost intuitive perception of the advantages to be derived from applying to useful purposes the great inventions that distinguished the era in which he lived, and the rare faculty of directing them, with energy and perseverance, to the fulfilment of extensive and important designs."[2]
His friends included
The obituary describes his business abilities: "In his mercantile dealings, he was influenced by coolness and solidity of judgment, by a high sense of honour and probity, and by enlarged and comprehensive views of the general principles of commercial policy."[2]
The company survived well the period of the Napoleonic Wars. The mill was regarded as a model enterprise; it was one of Manchester's sights, and industrialists and scientists visited it.[1]
Family
In 1803 Lee married Mary, daughter of the Revd John Ewart of Troqueer; they had five children. She died in 1811.[1][2]
He continued to run the business until his retirement. He died, not long after retirement, at his home in
References
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/16285. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c d e George Augustus Lee The Annual Biography and Obituary, Volume 11. 1827 – Great Britain.
- Thomas Telford2002.
