Belfast Ropeworks
| Gustav Wilhelm Wolff | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member of Parliament for Belfast East |
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In office 9 March 1892 – 3 December 1910 |
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| Preceded by | Edward de Cobain |
| Succeeded by | Robert James McMordie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
14 November 1834 Hamburg, Germany |
| Died | 17 April 1913 (aged 78) London, England |
| Resting place |
Brompton Cemetery 51°29′0″N 0°11′21″W / 51.48333°N 0.18917°W |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Never Married |
| Alma mater | Liverpool College |
| Occupation |
Shipbuilder Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder of Harland and Wolff |
Gustav Wilhelm Wolff (14 November 1834 – 17 April 1913) was a German-British shipbuilder and politician. Born in Hamburg, he moved to Liverpool in 1849 to live with his uncle, Gustav Christian Schwabe. After serving his apprenticeship in Manchester, Wolff was employed as a draughtsman in Hyde, Greater Manchester, before being employed by the shipbuilder Edward Harland in Belfast as his personal assistant. In 1861, Wolff became a partner at Harland's firm, forming Harland and Wolff. Outside shipbuilding, Wolff served as a Belfast Harbour Commissioner. He also founded the Belfast Ropeworks, served as Member of Parliament for Belfast East for 18 years and as a member of the Conservative and Unionist Party and Irish and Ulster Unionist parties.
Gustav Wilhelm Wolff was born on 14 November 1834 in Hamburg to Moritz Wolff, a merchant and his wife, Fanny Schwabe. Gustav was brought up in the Lutheran Church as his family had converted from Judaism in 1819. In March 1850 aged 15, Wolff left Hamburg to live in Liverpool with his uncle, Gustav Christian Schwabe, a financier. Wolff was educated at Liverpool College; afterwards he served an apprenticeship at the engineers Joseph Whitworth and Company, in Manchester. The firm considered Wolff so able that he was chosen to represent the company at the 1855 Paris Exhibition. After serving his apprenticeship, Wolff was employed by the B. Goodfellow Ltd., a firm based in Hyde, Greater Manchester as a draughtsman. In 1857, due to the intervention of his uncle Gustav Christian Schwabe, Wolff was employed as Edward Harland's personal assistant at Robert Hickson's shipyard at Queen's Island, Belfast. In 1860, Edward Harland recruited Wolff as his business partner, and Harland and Wolff was formed.
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