Andrew Allan (shipowner)
| Andrew Allan | |
|---|---|
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|
| Born |
1 December 1822 Saltcoats, Scotland |
| Died | 27 June 1901 (aged 78) Montreal, Quebec |
| Known for | Successor to his brother Sir Hugh Allan as President of the Allan Line and the Merchant's Bank of Canada etc. |
Andrew Allan (1 December 1822 – 27 June 1901) was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and financier. In 1882, he succeeded his brother, Sir Hugh Allan, of Ravenscrag, in the Allan family's Canadian enterprises that were centred on the Allan Line Royal Mail Steamers, but also included banking and railways. He was Master of Foxhounds for the Montreal Hunt.
Born in 1822 at Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Andrew Allan was the fourth son of Captain Alexander Allan and his wife Jean Crawford (1782–1856). He was a first cousin of Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt and his father was a first cousin of the Scottish bard, Robert Burns. In 1819, Allan's father established the Allan Shipping Line, which became synonymous with running goods and passengers between Scotland and Montreal. After a parish education at Greenock, Andrew was brought into the family shipping business, then known as J & A Allan, of Glasgow. Of his four brothers at this time, James was running the Glasgow office, helped by Alexander; Bryce, was in charge of the Liverpool office, while Hugh was expanding the family's interests in Montreal. With the rapid growth of the business in Montreal, it was decided that Andrew would be best placed there.
As a clerk, Andrew joined the newly organised shipping firm of Edmonstone, Allan & Co., of which his brother, Hugh, was partner. By 1846, Andrew had also become a partner and from 1863 the firm was known as the H & A Allan, of Montreal. Andrew worked closely with his brother in forming the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company, incorporated in 1854. By 1857, the Allan family were the sole owners, whose chief advantage over their competition was the use of iron-hulled steamships with screw propellers. The company won government mail contracts and was subsidised for the number of immigrants it brought from Britain to Canada.
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