Donald Currie

Donald Currie (* September 17, 1825 in Greenock, Scotland, † April 13, 1909 in Sidmouth ) was a British ship-owner and politician.

Life and work

Donald Currie was Academical Institution busy early after visiting the Belfast Royal Academy and Royal Belfast in a local shipowner's office. At the age of 18 he went to Liverpool, where he was a partner in the newly formed Cunard Line gave a post. He became an agent in Havre and Paris, where he mediated cargo transport to America. After his return to Liverpool's main house in 1856, he held a high position there.

In 1862 he founded his own company, Castle Shipping Line, which sailed to Calcutta. Two years later, then moved to London.

1872 seemed to him the development of the Cape Colony to justify it to establish a line of steamers to South Africa. His friend, Prime Minister John Charles Molteno refused him a monopoly, so he had to compete in the Post Office with the Union Company. In 1876 he founded the Castle Mail Packets Company, which in 1900 merged with its competitor to the Union - Castle Line.

In South Africa he was involved in the negotiations in a dispute over the ownership of the Kimberley diamond field. 1877/1879, he led the Transvaal secondments, who protested against the annexation. In the battle of Isandhlwana (1879 ), in which the British division was wiped out, he steamed to the Caribbean island of St. Vincent to give up from there a telegram to London. It agreed with the Admiralty that these used his fast steamer as an armed cruiser.

As a member of the Liberal Party, he moved to the Parliament for Perthshire, but could not agree on the Home Rule. 1885 to 1890 he represented as a Liberal Unionist West Perthshire.

As the British rugby team in his company traveled on the maiden voyage of the Dunottar Castle to South Africa, he donated a gold cup for the Currie Cup. In 1892 he founded the first football club in Essex Old Castle Swifts FC, but broke up when he stopped its financial support in March 1895.

In the 1890s he went into the hotel business. In 1893 he opened in Cape Town's beach, The Grand Street. Emil Cathrein was his hotel director. When he opened the Mount Nelson Hotel in Gardens in 1899, it was half a year later, at the outbreak of the war, chosen by the military as a headquarters. After he had in 1885 purchased the Glenlyon Estate, he had built there the village of Fortingall in Perthshire Scottish architect James MacLaren.