Arthur Anderson (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Arthur Anderson was a Scottish
businessman and Liberal
politician. He was co-founder of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
(P&O).
, in Lerwick
, and as a boy worked on the beach preparing fish. The Crown attempted to press gang Anderson but Bressay
man Thomas Bolt persuaded the Royal Navy
to wait until he had finished his apprenticeship before his impressment
in 1808. Anderson was discharged 10 years later in London. Like many Shetland men, he was left destitute 600 miles from home in London
after his service to King and country during the Napoleonic wars
. Anderson eventually became a clerk in the London shipping firm of Brodie McGhie Willcox
where he become a partner in 1822. They developed the shipping business between Britain and the Iberian peninsula
, at one stage shipping guns and the British Legion
to fight Portuguese
conservatives and Spanish
Carlists during their internal wars of the 1830s.
They followed this with a regular steamship service in 1830, called the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company, which soon became P&O. Despite cash crises, it expanded operations to Hong Kong
and Australia
, supported by government mail contracts. At his death in 1868 P&O had the largest commercial fleet of steamships in the world.
He moved to Streatham
, London
, and was Chairman of P&O from 1854 until his death; other chairs included the coal transport company the Union Steamship Co and the Crystal Palace
Co.
He served as a radical
Liberal MP
for the Orkney and Shetland constituency
He also founded the Shetland Journal, the Shetland Fishery Company at Vaila
, and encouraged fish exports to Spain and business between Shetland and the UK mainland.
He endowed Lower Norwood Working Men's Institute, the Anderson Educational Institute in 1862 (later and currently known as Anderson High School
and a home for the widows of fishermen in Shetland.
He was buried at West Norwood Cemetery
.
His nephew James Anderson, who worked in P&O, was married to the medical pioneer Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
businessman and 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. He was co-founder of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
(P&O).
Career
He was born at Böd of GremistaBöd of Gremista
The Böd of Gremista, situated at the north end of Lerwick, Shetland, is a typical 18th century Shetland fishing booth . It is protected as a category B listed building.-History:...
, in Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
, and as a boy worked on the beach preparing fish. The Crown attempted to press gang Anderson but Bressay
Bressay
-Geography and geology:Bressay lies due south of Whalsay, west of Noss, and north of Mousa. At , it is the fifth largest island in Shetland. The population is around 400 people, concentrated in the middle of the west coast, around Glebe, Fullaburn and Maryfield....
man Thomas Bolt persuaded the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
to wait until he had finished his apprenticeship before his impressment
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
in 1808. Anderson was discharged 10 years later in London. Like many Shetland men, he was left destitute 600 miles from home in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
after his service to King and country during the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Anderson eventually became a clerk in the London shipping firm of Brodie McGhie Willcox
Brodie McGhie Willcox
Brodie McGhie Willcox was a Liberal Member of Parliament and the co-founder of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company, one of the United Kingdom's largest shipping businesses.-Career:...
where he become a partner in 1822. They developed the shipping business between Britain and the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, at one stage shipping guns and the British Legion
British Legion (1835)
The Auxiliary Legion or the British Legion of the Spanish Legion existed from 1835 to 1837. It was a British military force sent to Spain to support the Liberals and Queen Isabella II of Spain against the Carlists in the First Carlist War.-History:Under the Quadruple Alliance Great Britain had...
to fight Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
conservatives and Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Carlists during their internal wars of the 1830s.
They followed this with a regular steamship service in 1830, called the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company, which soon became P&O. Despite cash crises, it expanded operations to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, supported by government mail contracts. At his death in 1868 P&O had the largest commercial fleet of steamships in the world.
He moved to Streatham
Streatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and was Chairman of P&O from 1854 until his death; other chairs included the coal transport company the Union Steamship Co and the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
Co.
He served as a radical
Radicals (UK)
The Radicals were a parliamentary political grouping in the United Kingdom in the early to mid 19th century, who drew on earlier ideas of radicalism and helped to transform the Whigs into the Liberal Party.-Background:...
Liberal MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Orkney and Shetland constituency
Orkney and Shetland (UK Parliament constituency)
Orkney and Shetland is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
He also founded the Shetland Journal, the Shetland Fishery Company at Vaila
Vaila
Vaila is an island in Shetland, Scotland, lying south of the Westland peninsula of the Shetland Mainland. It has an area of , and is at its highest point.Vaila is home to an organic sheep farm and is also known for its mountain hares....
, and encouraged fish exports to Spain and business between Shetland and the UK mainland.
He endowed Lower Norwood Working Men's Institute, the Anderson Educational Institute in 1862 (later and currently known as Anderson High School
Anderson High School (Shetland)
The Anderson High School is a comprehensive secondary school in Lerwick, Shetland.The A.H.S. is the largest school in Shetland with about 752 pupils from age 11 to 18....
and a home for the widows of fishermen in Shetland.
He was buried at West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...
.
His nephew James Anderson, who worked in P&O, was married to the medical pioneer Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, LSA, MD , was an English physician and feminist, the first woman to gain a medical qualification in Britain and the first female mayor in England.-Early life:...
.