George Thompson (MP)
Encyclopedia
George Thompson was the founder of a shipping line called the Aberdeen Line
and a Liberal
politician
.
in 1805.
George Thompson (always known as George Thompson Junior to distinguish himself from his grandfather) was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School
. He then joined the Aberdeen office of the London Shipping Company. In 1825, aged 21, he set up his own business as a ship and insurance broker, with offices in Aberdeen. In the same year his name first appeared as a subscribing owner of a small Aberdeen ship, and his shipowning interests rapidly developed. He also traded the imports which his vessels brought back to Aberdeen.
to Aberdeen on 8 September 1848. They were on their way to Balmoral
for the first time. This was the first occasion a monarch had visited Aberdeen since 1650. A crowd of 80,000 people turned out to greet her.
In 1852 he was persuaded to stand as a Liberal candidate for Aberdeen and defeated another Liberal, Andrew Leith Hay
by 682 votes to 478. He was an advocate of further parliamentary reform, and associated with Richard Cobden
and John Bright
in the repeal of the Corn Laws
. After retiring from Parliament in 1857, he took no further part in politics.
In 1842 one of his ships undertook an emigrant charter to New Zealand, and in the same year his first ship visited Australia. By 1846 his ships had become established in the Australian trade. Initially this was to Sydney, but with the discovery of gold at Ballarat the ships also traded to Melbourne. George Thompson first established the Aberdeen Line
(or Aberdeen White star Line to distinguish it from Rennie's Aberdeen Line) on the Australian trade in his own right in 1856. From that time, Thompson's ships were distinguished by their green-painted hulls, their white masts and yards and the red and blue house flag with the six-pointed white star which gave rise to the alternative name.
George Thompson entered the China tea trade in 1848. A regular voyage pattern was soon established: London to Australia with passengers and general cargo; Australia to China, Japan or Russia with coal; and thence via a Chinese port with tea. The famous clipper
Thermopylae
was designed for this trade. On her maiden voyage in 1869 she broke records for London to Melbourne, Newcastle (NSW) to Shanghai and Foochow to London. Ousted from the tea trade by steamers in 1879, Thermopylae
was deployed as a wool clipper
on the Australian trade. In both the Chinese tea trade and the Australian wool trade her chief rival was Cutty Sark
.
Thermopylae
was one of only two composite (i.e. iron and hardwood) ships owned by George Thompson. Thereafter his ships were mainly constructed of iron. They included Patriarch and Samuel Plimsoll. George Thompson had adopted the famous loadline recommendations long before they became mandatory in 1890.
In 1881 Walter Hood's yard was sold, as the age of sail was coming to an end. From then on the Line built up an initial fleet of five steamers: Aberdeen, Australasian, Damascus, Thermopylae (2) and Nineveh. Initially they steamed out to Australia via Cape Town and returned via the Suez Canal, but from 1895 they came back via Cape Town.
Thompson died in 1895. His safety track record as a shipowner had been exceptional, seldom losing a ship, and he never insured his ships against loss. Instead he invested the money he had saved in insurance premiums in the purchase of new ships and the maintenance of his existing ships. In this way he developed what has been called 'one of the greatest Lines in British merchant navy history'.
, who would later succeed him as chairman of the Line and then serve as Lord Provost
of Aberdeen, being knighted in 1893.
One of George Thompson's grandchildren was Muriel Thompson, who won the first ever Ladies' Race at Brooklands in 1908. During World War I, as an ambulance driver with the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) she won the Ordre de Leopold II, the Croix de Guerre and the Military Medal and was also mentioned in despatches.
His great grandchildren included Lord Devlin, who was the youngest High Court judge to be appointed in the last century and subsequently a Law Lord, and Alison Leggatt
, a noted character actress.
In later life he lived at Pitmedden House, his estate to the west of Aberdeen. He was a Deputy Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire. He is buried with his wife and some of their children in the family plot in the United Free Church graveyard at Dyce.
Aberdeen Line
The Aberdeen Line was a shipping company founded in 1825 by George Thompson of Aberdeen to take sailing vessels to the St. Lawrence carrying some passengers and returning with cargoes of timber. The business flourished and grew to 12 sailing vessels by 1837, travelling to South America, the...
and a Liberal
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Background
His father, Andrew Thomson (sic), served in the Royal Regiment of Artillery before joining the East India CompanyEast India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1805.
George Thompson (always known as George Thompson Junior to distinguish himself from his grandfather) was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School
Aberdeen Grammar School
Aberdeen Grammar School, known to students as The Grammar is a state secondary school in the City of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is one of twelve secondary schools run by the Aberdeen City Council educational department...
. He then joined the Aberdeen office of the London Shipping Company. In 1825, aged 21, he set up his own business as a ship and insurance broker, with offices in Aberdeen. In the same year his name first appeared as a subscribing owner of a small Aberdeen ship, and his shipowning interests rapidly developed. He also traded the imports which his vessels brought back to Aberdeen.
Political career
George Thompson served as Provost of Aberdeen from 1847 to 1850. The highlight of his term of office was welcoming Queen Victoria and Prince AlbertPrince Albert
Prince Albert was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria.Prince Albert may also refer to:-Royalty:*Prince Albert Edward or Edward VII of the United Kingdom , son of Albert and Victoria...
to Aberdeen on 8 September 1848. They were on their way to Balmoral
Balmoral
- Australia :* Balmoral, New South Wales, a locality of Sydney* Balmoral, New South Wales * Balmoral, New South Wales * Balmoral, Queensland* Balmoral, Victoria* Balmoral, Western Australia- Canada :...
for the first time. This was the first occasion a monarch had visited Aberdeen since 1650. A crowd of 80,000 people turned out to greet her.
In 1852 he was persuaded to stand as a Liberal candidate for Aberdeen and defeated another Liberal, Andrew Leith Hay
Andrew Leith Hay
Sir Andrew Leith Hay, KH was a Scottish soldier, politician and writer on architecture.-Biography:Andrew Leith Hay was the eldest son of General Alexander Leith Hay, and was born at Aberdeen on 17 February 1785...
by 682 votes to 478. He was an advocate of further parliamentary reform, and associated with Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League as well as with the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty...
and John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
in the repeal of the Corn Laws
Corn Laws
The Corn Laws were trade barriers designed to protect cereal producers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland against competition from less expensive foreign imports between 1815 and 1846. The barriers were introduced by the Importation Act 1815 and repealed by the Importation Act 1846...
. After retiring from Parliament in 1857, he took no further part in politics.
The Aberdeen White Star Line
In his first 15 years George Thompson operated a seasonal liner service to Canada and built up a fleet of a dozen vessels with trades extending to Cuba, South America, the Baltic, the Mediterranean, South Africa and the Far East. 1840 saw the launch of the first ship built at Walter Hood's yard in Aberdeen for George Thompson, and this yard built most of his ships up to 1881. They included some of the world's finest clippers.In 1842 one of his ships undertook an emigrant charter to New Zealand, and in the same year his first ship visited Australia. By 1846 his ships had become established in the Australian trade. Initially this was to Sydney, but with the discovery of gold at Ballarat the ships also traded to Melbourne. George Thompson first established the Aberdeen Line
Aberdeen Line
The Aberdeen Line was a shipping company founded in 1825 by George Thompson of Aberdeen to take sailing vessels to the St. Lawrence carrying some passengers and returning with cargoes of timber. The business flourished and grew to 12 sailing vessels by 1837, travelling to South America, the...
(or Aberdeen White star Line to distinguish it from Rennie's Aberdeen Line) on the Australian trade in his own right in 1856. From that time, Thompson's ships were distinguished by their green-painted hulls, their white masts and yards and the red and blue house flag with the six-pointed white star which gave rise to the alternative name.
George Thompson entered the China tea trade in 1848. A regular voyage pattern was soon established: London to Australia with passengers and general cargo; Australia to China, Japan or Russia with coal; and thence via a Chinese port with tea. The famous clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
Thermopylae
Thermopylae
Thermopylae is a location in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur springs. "Hot gates" is also "the place of hot springs and cavernous entrances to Hades"....
was designed for this trade. On her maiden voyage in 1869 she broke records for London to Melbourne, Newcastle (NSW) to Shanghai and Foochow to London. Ousted from the tea trade by steamers in 1879, Thermopylae
Thermopylae
Thermopylae is a location in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur springs. "Hot gates" is also "the place of hot springs and cavernous entrances to Hades"....
was deployed as a wool clipper
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area...
on the Australian trade. In both the Chinese tea trade and the Australian wool trade her chief rival was Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark
The Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954...
.
Thermopylae
Thermopylae
Thermopylae is a location in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur springs. "Hot gates" is also "the place of hot springs and cavernous entrances to Hades"....
was one of only two composite (i.e. iron and hardwood) ships owned by George Thompson. Thereafter his ships were mainly constructed of iron. They included Patriarch and Samuel Plimsoll. George Thompson had adopted the famous loadline recommendations long before they became mandatory in 1890.
In 1881 Walter Hood's yard was sold, as the age of sail was coming to an end. From then on the Line built up an initial fleet of five steamers: Aberdeen, Australasian, Damascus, Thermopylae (2) and Nineveh. Initially they steamed out to Australia via Cape Town and returned via the Suez Canal, but from 1895 they came back via Cape Town.
Thompson died in 1895. His safety track record as a shipowner had been exceptional, seldom losing a ship, and he never insured his ships against loss. Instead he invested the money he had saved in insurance premiums in the purchase of new ships and the maintenance of his existing ships. In this way he developed what has been called 'one of the greatest Lines in British merchant navy history'.
Family
In 1830 George Thompson married Christiana Kidd, a daughter of James Kidd, a fierce evangelical preacher. They had four sons and four daughters. One daughter married William Henderson (philanthropist)William Henderson (philanthropist)
Sir William Henderson was a Scottish merchant and philanthropist.He was born in Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, the son of a farmer, and his first job was a junior position in the Fraserburgh branch of the North of Scotland Bank...
, who would later succeed him as chairman of the Line and then serve as Lord Provost
Lord Provost
A Lord Provost is the figurative and ceremonial head of one of the principal cities of Scotland. Four cities, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, have the right to appoint a Lord Provost instead of a provost...
of Aberdeen, being knighted in 1893.
One of George Thompson's grandchildren was Muriel Thompson, who won the first ever Ladies' Race at Brooklands in 1908. During World War I, as an ambulance driver with the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) she won the Ordre de Leopold II, the Croix de Guerre and the Military Medal and was also mentioned in despatches.
His great grandchildren included Lord Devlin, who was the youngest High Court judge to be appointed in the last century and subsequently a Law Lord, and Alison Leggatt
Alison Leggatt
Alison Leggatt was an English character actress.-Career:Born as Alison Joy Leggatt in the Kensington district of London, Leggatt spent the early part of her career primarily on the stage. Her first major film credit was as Aunt Sylvia in This Happy Breed , Noel Coward's homage to the British...
, a noted character actress.
Other interests
George Thompson was a generous supporter of the Free Church of Scotland, and has been described as Aberdeen's most generous benefactor of his age. He supported an extension of the Royal Infirmary and bestowed money on Aberdeen University to provide bursaries in medicine.In later life he lived at Pitmedden House, his estate to the west of Aberdeen. He was a Deputy Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire. He is buried with his wife and some of their children in the family plot in the United Free Church graveyard at Dyce.