Samuel Kelly (1818–1877) was an Irish businessman, unionist gun-runner,

shipowner A shipowner, ship owner or ship-owner is the owner of a ship. They can be merchant vessels involved in the shipping industry or non commercially owned. In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and exploits a ship, us ...

and

coal merchant A coal merchant is the term used in the UK and other countries for a trader who sells coal and often delivers it to households. Coal merchants were once a major class of local business, but have declined in importance in many parts of the developed ...

, from Ballinderry, Ireland. He was the father of John Kelly, founder of John Kelly Coal Company. He is also the grandfather of Sir Samuel Kelly, founder of John Kelly Limited. He started a business on Queen's Quay in 1840 as a "grocer and commission coal merchant". He invested his time into an industry that did not yet take off in Ireland. He is a key figure in the beginnings of what would be a thriving industry and a significant contributor to the economy of Ireland.

Life and career

Kelly was born in 1818, in Ballinderry, Ireland. He was a staunch unionist, and grew up in a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

family. In the 1840s, Samuel, after running his business on Queen's Quay as a grocers and commission coal merchant, established his coal merchant's business in 1852. Samuel married Isabella Kelly, and they had a son, John Kelly, who would assist him in the business. Kelly died in 1877, at the age of 57. John Kelly, aged 37, took over the business, and founded it as John Kelly Coal Company. Following this, Sir Samuel Kelly (1879 - 1937) son of John Kelly, established the business in 1911 and became "John Kelly Limited".

References

{{reflist 1818 births 1877 deaths 20th-century businesspeople Businesspeople from County Antrim 19th-century businesspeople Ship owners Ulster Scots people Coal industry