James Stevenson FRSE (1786–1866) was a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who fathered two Scottish heroines, Flora Stevenson and Louisa Stevenson,[1] the industrialist, James Cochran Stevenson[2] and architect John James Stevenson.
Life
He was born in Paisley on 28 April 1786 the son of James Stevenson, a silk gauze manufacturer, and his wife, Margaret Cochran. He was educated at Paisley Grammar School.
He set up a cotton spinning mill with his older brother, Nathaniel Stevenson, first at Calton then Barrowfield, before going into partnership with the Oswald brothers[3] creating Oswald Stevenson & Co with James Oswald.[4]
The family moved into central Glasgow in 1825, running the firm James Stevenson & Co, cotton brokers, from 104 Hutcheson Street.[5] James inherited the family business on his father's death in 1806.
In 1844 he also became a senior partner at the Jarrow Chemical Works in South Shields: a firm supplying dyes for his cottons.
In 1865 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposer was James Yong.[6]
He died at home, 13 Randolph Crescent in Edinburgh on 13 June 1866.[7]
Artistic recognition
He was portrayed by Norman Macbeth and Thomas Annan photographed the portrait.[8]
Family
He was married to Jane Stewart Shannon from Greenock. They had ten children: four sons and six daughters.[9]
His brother, Nathaniel Stevenson, was father to James Croesus Stevenson.[10]
References
- ^ Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004), "Flora Stevenson", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/46826, retrieved 29 October 2024
- ^ "James Cochran Stevenson of South Shields". Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "TheGlasgowStory: James Stevenson".
- ^ "Nathaniel Stevenson".
- ^ Glasgow Post Office Directory 1825
- ^ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1866
- ^ "TheGlasgowStory: James Stevenson".
- ^ "Stevenson - Ancestry®". Ancestry.com.
- ^ "Nathaniel Stevenson".