John Mackintosh GMH |
|
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Born |
22 Prince Edward's Road, Gibraltar |
15 July 1865
Died | 28 February 1940 22 Prince Edward's Road, Gibraltar |
(aged 74)
Monuments | |
Residence | 22 Prince Edward's Road, Gibraltar |
Nationality | British |
Citizenship | Gibraltarian |
Occupation | Coaling merchant |
Known for | Philanthropy |
Spouse(s) | Victoria Canepa |
Children | Adelaide |
John Mackintosh GMH (15 July 1865 – 28 February 1940) was a Gibraltarian philanthropist and benefactor. He made his money selling coal to the British navy. Mackintosh left his money to charitable institutions such as the Jewish Homes and Mount Alvernia charities which provide residential care for the elderly of Gibraltar.
John Mackintosh was born in Gibraltar on 15 July 1865 at 22 Prince Edward's Road, where he spent most of his life. His father, John Mackintosh, a native of Scotland, had settled in Gibraltar to do business as a general merchant. Mackintosh's father died whilst his son was still a boy. His mother, Adelaide Peacock, came from an old Gibraltarian merchant family who were also of Scottish descent. Mackintosh went on to marry Victoria Canepa on 30 June 1909, whose mother was one of the seven Saccone sisters, an affluent family of the times. The couple had an only daughter, Adelaide.
When still young John Mackintosh went to work in the City of London, showing great ability as a businessman and returning to Gibraltar to join his uncle John Peacock in the cotton goods and shipping trade as Peacock & Company. He later entered into partnership with C.W. Mathiesen, Consul for Denmark and shipping agent. This partnership was later followed by that of Crusoe & Mackintosh. The firm prospered as it developed its extensive coal business. Eventually John Mackintosh bought out Crusoe and traded as Mackintosh & Company, a company which he formed into a limited company in 1923, later to be taken over in 1934 by Pyrmont Limited.
Aside from his coal business, John Mackintosh delved into other business activities. He also acquired control of the Chellew Shipping Company, a Cornish company that owned and managed cargo ships. He later formed the Calpean Shipping Company through which he had three cargo ships built during the 1930s, the SS Auretta, the SS Justitia and the MV Statira. He also had a controlling interest in a Newcastle-on-Tyne coal business called Thos.H Seed & Company. Mackintosh held the position of Consul for Denmark and Norway for many years. He enjoyed spending his summers abroad in San Sebastian, Switzerland and Pau. Well read and fond of music, Mackintosh was an approachable and popular man.