Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Inverforth, PC (24 April 1865 – 17 September 1955) created and headed the firm of Andrew Weir and Co. shipowners of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

he served as a minister in the

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

: he was Surveyor General of Supplies from 1917 to 1919, and

Minister of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis ...

from 1919 to 1921.

Life

Andrew Weir was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife the eldest son of William Weir and his wife Janet. Both William Weir and his father were cork merchants. Weir married Anne Dowie (d. 1941) in 1889, daughter of Thomas Kay Dowie, which he had six children with. After attending the high school at Kirkcaldy, Andrew went to work for the

Commercial Bank of Scotland The Commercial Bank of Scotland Ltd. was a Scottish commercial bank. It was founded in Edinburgh in 1810, and obtained a royal charter in 1831. It grew substantially through the 19th and early 20th centuries, until 1958, when it merged with th ...

. He soon moved to

. Shortly after his twentieth birthday, he bought a sailing ship, the

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, b ...

''Willowbank'', which he employed in the coasting trade. The next year Weir began building sailing ships of modern design and within a few years had built up a fleet of 52. In 1896 Weir moved to London and started converting his fleet from sail to steam. In 1905 he established the Bank Line, which became the leading British shipping line. During the

in March 1917 Weir was asked to report on the commercial organization of the supply branches of the army. Weir recommended the appointment of a surveyor-general of supply, with a seat on the army council, to take over the task of supplying the army with all its stores and equipment other than munitions. His recommendations were accepted and he was given the job. In January 1919, after the war had ended, he was appointed

to close down the supply operation and dispose of unwanted materiel. He remained in office until March 1921. For his services Weir was raised to the peerage as Baron Inverforth, of Southgate in the County of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

on 5 February 1919, and received the American Distinguished Service Medal.War Department, Congressional Medal of Honors
''pg. 993''
/ref> After the war Lord Inverforth invested in diesel-powered ships. He also broadened his business interests, becoming involved in the Marconi group of companies. He was also chairman of the Anglo-Burma Rice Company and of the Wilmer Grain Company, and was also on the board of

Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the " Big Four" clearing banks. Lloyds Bank is the largest retail bank in Britain, and has an exte ...

. Inverforth continued to go to the office four days a week, into his ninety-first year. He died at his home, Inverforth House in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, on 17 September 1955.

Arms

Biography

* G. K. S. Hamilton-Edwards, "Weir, Andrew, first Baron Inverforth (1865–1955)", rev., ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004.

References

* Burkes Peerage
''Internet Site''
* The London Gazette
''Internet Site''
* United Kingdom House of Parliament
''Internet Site''
* War Department
''Congressional Medal of Honor(s)''
Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1919.

Footnotes

External links

Ships of Andrew Weir & Co built on the Clyde
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Andrew Inverforth, Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Inverforth, Andrew Weir, 1st Baron 19th-century Scottish people People from Kirkcaldy People educated at Kirkcaldy High School Inverforth, Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Inverforth, Andrew Weir, 1st Baron Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Barons created by George V