Lord William James Pirrie

William James Pirrie was born in Quebec, Canada on 31 May 1847 the only son of James Alexander Pirrie his wife Eliza (neé Montgomery). Pirrie's family lived at Conlig, County Down.

Following an education at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, in 1862, he entered the firm of Harland and Wolff. So meteoric was his rise that by 1874 he had been made a partner. He would remain with the firm all his life. Pirrie nurtured a close and lucrartive working relationship with first Thomas Henry Ismay and later his son, Joseph Bruce Ismay who led the White Star Line. Harland and Wolff was the sole constructor for White Star, building its ships to the highest specifications on what was termed a "cost-plus" basis.

Pirrie was instrumental in the formation of the International Mercantile Marine under John Pierpont Morgan which consolidated maritime transport in the North Atlantic with obvious benefits to his firm.

He was Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1896 to 1897 and was made Baron Pirrie of Belfast in 1906 (Viscount Pirrie in 1921 when George V visited Belfast).

Lord Pirrie died at sea on 6 June 1924 while on a business tour of South America.

References and Sources
The Dictionary of National Biography

Related Articles and Documents

		DOWNSHIRE HOUSE
	(1847)	BAPTISMAL RECORD OF WILLIAM PIRRIE
	The Times  (1895)	PIRRIE NOMINATED FOR LORD MAYOR OF BELFAST
	The Times  (1895)	PIRRIE'S ELECTION AS LORD MAYOR ASSURED
	The Times  (1896)	PIRRIE INSTALLED AS LORD MAYOR
	The Times  (1896)	PIRRIE RE-ELECTED LORD MAYOR
	The Times  (1896)	T. ISMAY CONTRIBUTES TO PIRRIE HOSPITAL FUND
	The Times  (1897)	PIRRIE SWORN IN AS PRIVY COUNCILLOR
	The Times  (1897)	PIRRIE HONOURED FOR SERVICE AS LORD MAYOR
	The Times  (1898)	PIRRIE BECOMES FIRST HONORARY BURGESS OF BELFAST
	The Times  (1899)	THOMAS ISMAY HONORED BY CITY OF BELFAST
	New York Times  (1901)	PASSENGERS FROM EUROPE GRIEVED
	New York Times  (1901)	J. BRUCE ISMAY RETURNS TO ENGLAND
	The Times  (1904)	MRS. PIRRIE HONORED
	The Times  (1904)	MRS. PIRRIE AWARDED FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF BELFAST
	The Times  (1906)	PEERAGE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM CONFERRED UPON PIRRIE
	The Times  (1906)	LORD PIRRIE'S TITLE
	The Times  (1906)	PIRRIE TAKES OATH AS BARON
	New York Times  (1907)	30-KNOT LINER PROBABLE
	The Times  (1907)	LORD PIRRIE APPOINTED COMPTROLLER OF HOUSEHOLD OF LORD-LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND
	The Times  (1908)	NEW KNIGHT OF ST. PATRICK
	The Times  (1909)	PIRRIE INVESTED AS KNIGHT OF ST. PATRICK
	New York Times  (1909)	$1,000,000 FOR WITLEY COURT
	New York Times  (1909)	GIANT SHIPS SOON TO JOIN THE ATLANTIC FLEET
	New York Times  (1911)	CHANGE IN COMMODORES
	The New York Times  (1911)	OLYMPIC CUTS HER OWN TIME
	(1912)	CAPTAIN SMITH WITH LORD PIRRIE OF HARLAND AND WOLFF
	New York Times  (1912)	LORD PIRRIE OPERATED UPON
	New York Times  (1912)	LORD PIRRIE TO RETIRE
	New York Times  (1912)	LORD PIRRIE NOT RETIRING
	Chicago Daily News  (1912)	NOT ALL STOCK ISSUED
	The San Francisco Call  (1912)	LORD PIRRIE'S WIFE TO VISIT THE WEST
	The Sun (New York)  (1912)	PIRRIE TO REBUILD YACHT
	The Times  (1913)	CAPTAIN E. J. SMITH MEMORIAL
	New York Times  (1913)	PIRRIE DENIES THAT HE IS TO RETIRE
	The Times  (1919)	CONTROLLER-GENERAL'S RETIREMENT
	The Times  (1921)	VISCOUNTY FOR LORD PIRRIE
	The Times  (1921)	LORD PIRRIE TAKES OATH AS VISCOUNT
	The Times  (1921)	LORD PIRRIE'S TITLE
	New York Times  (1924)	LORD PIRRIE DIES ON SHIP BOUND HERE
	The Times  (1924)	LORD PIRRIE - DOMINANT FIGURE IN SHIPBUILDING
	New York Times  (1924)	OLYMPIC CARRIES PIRRIE'S BODY HOME
	New York Times  (1924)	LADY PIRRIE MAY HEAD HARLAND & WOLFF, THE GREAT BRITISH SHIPBUILDING FIRM
	The Times  (1925)	LORD PIRRIE'S ESTATE
	The Times  (1925)	LORD PIRRIE'S WILL
	The Times  (1935)	LADY PIRRIE
	New York Times  (1935)	LADY PIRRIE DEAD; HEADED SHIP FIRM
	The Times  (1940)	NEW M.P. FOR EAST BELFAST
	Titanic Research  (2011)	HARLAND & WOLFF AND THE PARTITION OF ULSTER
	belfasttelegraph.co.uk  (2012)	PIRRIE'S ROLLS ROYCE RETURNS TO NORTHERN IRELAND