George Hibbert
| George Hibbert | |
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George Hibbert by Thomas Lawrence, 1811
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| Born | January 13, 1757 |
| Died | October 8, 1837 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Merchant and Politician |
| Notable work | Helped to found the Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
George Hibbert (13 January 1757 – 8 October 1837) was an eminent English merchant, politician, slave- and ship-owner, amateur botanist and book collector. With Robert Milligan, he was also one of the principals of the West India Dock Company which instigated the construction of the West India Docks on London's Isle of Dogs in 1800. He also helped found the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1824.
Like Milligan, Hibbert came from a family made rich from cultivating sugar plantations in the West Indies; the Hibbert estates run by his uncle Thomas Hibbert were in Agualta Vale, Jamaica; another uncle, John, had also settled in Jamaica. George Hibbert was born in Stockfield Hall, Manchester, the son of Robert Hibbert and Abigail Hibbert (née Scholey). Around 1780 he went to London to join the West India trading house of Hibbert, Purrier and Horton (later Hibberts, Fuhr and Purrier) at 9 Mincing Lane. He eventually became head of the firm, described in 1800 as the ‘first house’ in the Jamaican trade.
He was an Alderman of London from 1798 to 1803. He was the first chairman of the West India Dock Company, which promoted the construction of the West India Docks from 1800 to 1802. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Seaford from 31 October 1806 until 5 October 1812.
In 1812 George Hibbert was appointed agent-general for Jamaica at an annual salary of £1,500, a position he held until retiring in 1831.
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