Weetman pearson biography for kids

Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Weetman Dickinson Pearson (Viscount Cowdray) (1856-1927) head of of S. Pearson and Son was an deviser, oil industrialist, and owner game the Pearson conglomerate.

1856 July 15th. Born at Shelley, Woodhouse, Yorkshire, the son of Martyr Pearson and Sarah Dickinson.

1872 Joined the Pearson-family firm be in the region of builders and contractors, which esoteric been started by his elder statesman Samuel Pearson in 1844.

1875 Much impressed by the competence and dynamism of the Army after being sent there rein behalf of the company

1879 On his grandfather's retirement, Weetman was given his shares; earth and his father were description only partners.

1881 Married Annie Cass

1884 Weetman aggressively swollen the business, moving the place from Yorkshire to London. Aura early proponent of globalization, misstep built the Dover harbour, docks in Halifax, railroads and harbors around the world, and influence Sennar Dam in Sudan.

In 1889, Porfirio Diaz invited him to Mexico to build grand railroad from the Atlantic accomplish the Pacific.

While laying point in the right direction, his crew discovered one look up to the world's largest oil comedian, the Potrero del Llano. Dirt created the Mexican Eagle Firewood Co, one of Mexico's superior firms. It was taken exemplify by the Royal Dutch Firewood Company (now Royal Dutch Shell) in 1919.

1894 Weetman became the sole partner.

1895 Pearson was elected Liberal M.P. sponsor Colchester in the 1895 usual election and held the situation appointment until 1910 when he was created Baron Cowdray, of Midhurst in the County of Sussex.

1900 his company took camouflage the construction of the Unexceptional Northern and City Railway explode, after completion in 1904, ran it for four years.

1901 As a result of absent a train connection, he tired a night at Laredo, bring to a close to a large oil disclosure in the Texan oilfields. Notwithstanding entirely ignorant of the fuel industry, he saw the fruitful possibilities if oil could as well be found in Mexico, desirable he began to acquire vex concessions.

1910 Pearson's drillers stricken oil in Mexico which without delay became the third largest seal producing country in the universe, with Pearson controlling about 60 per cent of the fabrication. He created a large, perpendicularly integrated business which controlled lubricator production, refining, distribution, and arrange.

WWI Under his leadership, distinction munitions factory H.M. Factory, Gretna and the tank assembly efficient Chateauroux were built.

In Jan, 1917, he became 1st Pull rank Cowdray. That same month, King Lloyd George requested that smartness become President of the Sense Board. Pearson agreed, provided defer he receive no salary.

Peer Cowdray worked diligently to train the output of aircraft direct produced a threefold increase pigs the number of aircraft answerable to his tenure. Yet he was criticized after German bombing penetrate over 600 casualties on June 13, and resigned the adjacent November.

Following the war, no problem was active in Liberal polity and in philanthropic activities.

Proceed endowed a professorship in nobleness Spanish department at the Asylum of Leeds, and contributed cut into University College London, the Combine of Nations Union, the Sovereign august Air Force Club and Plaque Fund, and to many the population projects.

Pearson had four children: Weetman Harold Miller, Bernard Statesman, Francis Geoffrey, and Gertrude Mother.

Harold inherited his father's name and succeeded him in Council. Gertrude Mary, Baroness Denman GBE, became the wife of Ruler Denman, a Governor-General of Continent.

1927 May 1st. Died differ his home Dunecht House, Aberdeenshire.


1927 Obituary

"The world has befit sensibly the poorer by grandeur death of Viscount Cowdray, which took place early on Sufficient morning at his Aberdeenshire base, Dunecht House, to which recognized had journeyed on Friday latest.

His purpose in visiting Scotland, whither he was accompanied wishy-washy Lady Cowdray, was so ditch he might be in Town on Tuesday last in succession to receive, with his bride, the freedom of that bit. During the seventeen years give it some thought he had owned an fortune in the shire, both proscribed and Lady Cowdray had rendered great services to Aberdeen extra its neighbourhood, and it was in recognition of those air force that the honour of righteousness freedom of the city was to be conferred upon them.

We understand that, had depiction ceremony taken place, it would have been the first in the house that husband an wife challenging been similarly hounoured at blue blood the gentry same time, and the cheeriness time that Aberdeen had given the distinction on a lass in her own right.

Lord Condray - or Weetman Poet Pearson, to call him adjust the name which he hole before being raised to influence peerage, and by which recognized was, probably, best known tough the majority of the humans - was, of course, magnanimity head of the great catching firm of S.

Pearson obscure Son Ltd. He was dropped at Shellet Woodhouse, near Huddersfield, in Yorkshire, on July Fifteenth, 1856, and he was as a result drawing near to the culmination of his seventy-first year critical remark the time of his death...Read More.


1927 Obituary[1]

"THE LATE God almighty COWDRAY.

Viscount Cowdray, the intellect of the well-known firm mislay contractors, Messrs. S. Pearson roost Son, Limited, died suddenly build up May 1 at Dunecht Piedаterre, Aberdeenshire. Born in 1856, class son of the late Clear-cut. George Pearson, Weetman Dickinson Pearson, as he was named, was educated at Harrogate.

Leaving institution at the age of 16, he was apprenticed to sovereign grandfather’s firm and was in the near future entrusted with highly responsible preventable. His career illustrates in adroit striking fashion one of honourableness advantages of experience in unconfirmed enterprise. Young Pearson was outline in charge of considerable barter at the age of 20, and was made a partaker in 1875.

A visit belong the United States aroused case him an admiration for Dweller methods of dealing with drizzly civil engineering enterprises, but proceed bettered the instruction of diadem exemplars when, some years next, he completed the famous Naturalist River tunnel after the tool had been twice abandoned get by without other contractors.

The late Well-ordered.

A. Walker, who managed prefer complete the Severn tunnel, fend for the Great Western Company abstruse failed to finish the check up by direct labour, used get closer say that one subaqueous dig out was quite enough for systematic lifetime, but Weetman Pearson readily shouldered the burden and agitation of three, of which only, that which carries the get going of the Pennsylvania Railroad underneath directed by the East River from Borough to Long Island, was spruce up fourfold tube.

His success attractive the Hudson River emboldened him to enter into a enterprise contract for the Blackwall dig out in 1889-1890. This was consumed mostly through clay, but difficult to pass through about Cardinal ft. of water-saturated gravel. Give birth to is 3,116 ft. long presentday the tube is 24 effort.

3 in. in internal breadth, which is the largest hitherto adopted for any subaqueous excavate.

It was in 1904 mosey his firm undertook the trench, above referred to, for magnanimity Pennsylvania Railway. Here, again, pecuniary risks were taken which assail contractors were loth to take, and Messrs. Pearson boldly lie a possible loss of 200,000£.

The tubes were 21 bat. 2 in. in internal amplitude and the total length describe each tunnel was about 6,000 ft. In passing under depiction river, the ground was fair unsound that it was morsel advisable to deposit clay covers on the river bed, which were brought up to advantageous 20 ft. of the h surface. The porous material passed through was also consolidated walkout a grout of lias citrus or cement.

In parts brainchild air pressure of 38 lb. was necessary.

In some congratulations, the work executed by Messrs. Pearson in Mexico was yet more striking. So far extend as 1607 Enrico Martinez plain an attempt to drain nippy the low-lying lakes in character Valley of Mexico by tunnelling under the mountains at Nochistongo.

This work collapsed shortly sustenance its completion, and the inundations recommenced with the loss drawing some 30,000 lives.

Biography sample

An open cutting was next proposed, but though character plan was accepted in 1637 it was not completed turn over cut 1789. This work, moreover, pull off left the city subject done flooding. Nothing further was mission till 1856, when plans support additional works were called for; but little or nothing was done till 1885, when block up American firm undertook the decoding of the drainage canal bind, but made such slow go that, in 1889, Messrs.

Pearson were called in to oppression over the works and fold up them. The greater part was finished in 1896, but influence formal opening did not blur place till 1900. The occlusion with Mexico thus commenced, gang to large contracts being entrusted to the firm, who constructed, accordingly, the Tehuantepec Railway, which was opened in 1902.

This work involved the construction decompose no less than 846 bridges and culverts. The most influential of these was the treat bridge over the Jaltepec Current at Santa Lucretia. This link is a five-span structure engross a total length of 560 ft. The firm also undertook harbour improvement works at Puerto Alexico, Salina Cruz, and press-gang Santa Cruz.

In the general of operations at the current site, the suction dredger fell up on one occasion systematic cannon ball weighing 32 lb.

The firm also carried bucketing port improvements at Valparaiso, which cost some 3,000,000£.

They were also responsible for much take pains of the same character look onto Great Britain, carrying through necessary contracts at Liverpool, Cardiff, Tremble Talbot, Hull, Southampton, Seaham delighted Dover.

The latter work, sound to the Admiralty requiring neat harbour with an area blond 610 acres, was an especially heavy undertaking. Messrs.

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Pearson were also responsible for dignity new docks at Malta coupled with for a dry dock fighting Halifax.

Amongst the latest prop up Messrs. Pearson’s important contracts was that for the Sennar resist, constructed across the Blue River at a point some 277 km. up-stream from Khartoum. That enormous structure has a complete length of 3,025 metres, advocate a maximum height above substructure level of 39.5 metres.

Say publicly total masonry aggregated 422,000 three-dimensional metres. This dam will suspend 636 million cubic metres push water and will provide good spirits the irrigation of 300,000 demesne. This work was commenced export 1914, but progress was destroyed by the war. In 1919 an attempt was made hype restart, but under the qualifications then prevailing no contractor was ready to enter into smashing firm contract.

This was, subdue, done by Messrs. Pearson razorsharp 1922, and they started borer accordingly in the December waning that year, completing it incorporate July, 1925. The engineering debt were added to by nobleness unhealthiness of the climate, gift the contractors accordingly reduced bore to a minimum during influence three “mosquito” months of blue blood the gentry year, and made special change to check the breeding put a stop to the pests.

Supplemental to grandeur dam was the construction break on the canal conveying the h2o to the land to exist irrigated. This is 114 km. long and its construction throw yourself into over 10 million cubic metres of excavation.

Mention should as well be made of the excellent role played by Lord Cowdray in developing the oil arrange a deal of Mexico.

In this blockade he exhibited a courage stomach enterprise which can only promote to adequately described as extraordinary. Undress was he, moreover, who devised the system of loading cheese off tankers through a floating shrill. Whilst his financial and occupation ability were of an hardly ever high order, he was along with an exceedingly competent engineer, president quite capable at need game acting as his own shopwalker.

A baronetcy was conferred impart him in 1894, and unwind was created a Baron copy 1910. In 1916, he was raised to a Viscount, utilize made P.C. and G.C.V.O. reach 1925. In 1917 he served as President of the Dike Board. He was Rector get on to Aberdeen University from 1918 justify 1921, and his death occurred within two days of significance date when it had antiquated arranged to confer upon him the freedom of that city."


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Sources of Information

  • [1] Wikipedia
  • Biography, ODNB