George Thompson (shipowner)

George Thompson of Pitmedden (1804–1895) was a Scottish Whig politician who was The Lord Provost of Aberdeen and MP for city.

[1] His father, Andrew Thomson (sic), served in the Royal Regiment of Artillery before joining the East India Company in 1805.

In 1825, aged 21, he set up his own business as a ship and insurance broker, with offices in Aberdeen.

In the same year his name first appeared as a subscribing owner of a small Aberdeen ship, and his shipowning interests rapidly developed.

The highlight of his term of office was welcoming Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to Aberdeen on 8 September 1848.

He was an advocate of further parliamentary reform, and associated with Richard Cobden and John Bright in the repeal of the Corn Laws.

From then on the Line built up an initial fleet of five steamers: Aberdeen, Australasian, Damascus, Thermopylae (2) and Nineveh.

One daughter married William Henderson, who later succeeded him as chairman of the Line and then serve as Lord Provost of Aberdeen, being knighted in 1893.

For her bravery under fire she received the Order of Leopold II, the Croix de Guerre and the Médaille militaire, and was also mentioned in despatches.

He is buried with his wife and some of their children in the family plot in the United Free Church graveyard at Dyce.

Parts of article was compiled in July 2010 by relatives of George Thompson, with help from historian Captain Peter King