Sir John Pirie, 1st Baronet

Sir John Pirie, 1st Baronet (1781 – 26 February 1851), was a British shipbroker and Lord Mayor of London. He was the largest shipbroker in London.^[1]

In the 1830s he started to uphold Wakefield's principles and became a founding director, and one of the largest financiers, of the South Australian Company.^[2] He was also a director of the New Zealand Company,^[3] and the East India Company.^[4] One of the first three ships despatched in 1836 to found the new colony of South Australia was the 105 ton two-masted schooner John Pirie.^[1]

He was elected Sheriff of London for 1831–32 and Lord Mayor for 1841–42. He was created a baronet, of Camberwell in the County of Surrey, in 1842 on his retirement as Lord Mayor.^[5] Pirie had no children and died at Champion Hill, Camberwell on 26 February 1851. Although he was a past director of City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery Co he was buried at West Norwood Cemetery.

The title died with him.^[1] Some of the places in South Australia named after Pirie, or the ship John Pirie were Pirie Street, Adelaide, and Port Pirie, South Australia.

References

1. Streets Named on 23 May 1837, History of Adelaide Through Street Names, historysouthaustralia.net, updated 4 March 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
2. The South Australian Company South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register 18 June 1836 p.6
3. Court of Directors, New Zealand Company. PDF
4. The court of directors of the East India Company versus Her Majesty's Ministers.p.2
5. The London Gazette: no. 20091. p. 1046. 15 April 1842.