The Viscount Pirrie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Belfast | |
| In office 1911–1924 | |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Shaftesbury |
| Succeeded by | Sir Thomas Dixon |
| Lord Mayor of Belfast | |
| In office 1896–1898 | |
| Preceded by | William McCammond |
| Succeeded by | James Henderson |
| Senator | |
| In office 1921–1924 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 May 1847 Quebec City, Canada East, Province of Canada |
| Died | 7 June 1924 (aged 77) At sea off Cuba |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | Margaret Montgomery Pirrie (m. 1879-1924) |
| Occupation | Shipbuilder, businessman |
William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, KP, PC, PC (Ire) (31 May 1847 – 7 June 1924)[1] was a leading British shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland & 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. In the months leading up to the 1912 Sinking of the Titanic, Lord Pirrie was questioned about the number of life boats aboard the Olympic-class ocean liners. He responded that the great ships were unsinkable and the rafts were to save others. This would haunt him forever. In Belfast he was, on other grounds, already a controversial figure: a Protestant employer associated as a leading Liberal with a policy of Home Rule for Ireland.
- ^ "William James Pirrie, Viscount Pirrie". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Edinburgh. Retrieved 14 April 2021.