Andrew Strahan (1749–1831) was an MP and printer who served as the

King's Printer The King's Printer (known as the Queen's Printer during the reign of a female monarch) is typically a bureau of the national, state, or provincial government responsible for producing official documents issued by the King-in-Council, Ministers ...

Biography

Andrew Strahan was the youngest son of William Strahan (1715–1785), and carried on his father's business with success, becoming one of the joint patentees, with John Reeves and George Eyre as the King's Printer. He retired in 1819. Between 1796 and 1820 he sat in Parliament successively for Newport, Wareham,

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the English county, county of Suffolk, England, north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the comp ...

, and

New Romney New Romney is a market town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to silt up. New Romney, one of the original Cinque Ports, was once a sea port, w ...

. Strahan was a close friend of the inventor

John Dickinson John Dickinson (November 13, O.S. November 2">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. November 21732Various sources indicate a birth date of November 8, 12 or 13, but his most recent biographer ...

(1782–1869) and his family. He recommended the young John Dickinson as an apprentice to the stationer Thomas Harrison in London and supported him financially on several occasions, amongst others to establish himself as a paper trader in 1805 and to set up a paper producing company in 1809, which later evolved into the leading paper and

stationery Stationery refers to writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery usually specifies materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) or by equipment such as computer p ...

company John Dickinson & Co. Ltd. Strahan died on 25 August 1831 leaving an enormous fortune. In his will he bequeathed £1,000 to the

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...

, and £1,225 to the

Stationers' Company The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (until 1937 the Worshipful Company of Stationers), usually known as the Stationers' Company, is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was formed in 1 ...

but Strahan also remembered all the Dickinson family, among them John Dickinson, who received £4,000.Joan Evans (great niece of John Dickinson): „The Endless Web - John Dickinson & Co. Ltd 1804-1954“, p. 54, Jonathan Cape, London 1955

References

Sources

* Cochrane, J. A., ''Dr Johnson's Printer : The Life of William Strahan'', 1964 ;Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strahan, Andrew English printers Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Carlow constituencies (1801–1922) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Wareham 1749 births 1831 deaths British MPs 1796–1800 UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820