From Wikipedia - Reading time: 4 min
Duncan Dunbar II | |
|---|---|
Duncan Dunbar in January 1862, by Camille Silvy | |
| Born | 9 September 1803 |
| Died | 6 March 1862 (aged 58) |
| Nationality | Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Occupation | shipowner |
Duncan Dunbar (1803–1862) was a Scottish businessman and London-based shipowner who established what was described as the largest shipping line in Great Britain.[1] He was also the first chairman and founder of the London Chartered Bank of Australia.[2]
Duncan was born on 8 September 1803 at 7 Fore Street, Limehouse, London, Middlesex. His father Duncan Dunbar Sr. had moved to London in the 1790s and founded a successful business as a brewer and wine merchant.[1] He settled in Limehouse in the 1790s, establishing his alcohol business at Dunbar Wharf.[1] Duncan Jr. was 22 when his father died in 1825 and inherited the business with his brother John.[1]

A noted protectionist,[3] Duncan Jr. possessed the largest sailing fleet in the world in the mid-19th century. Most of his fleets were built in his own shipyard in Moulmein, Burma.[4] He also founded the London Chartered Bank of Australia in 1852.[5] He died at his home at Porchester Terrace, Paddington on 6 March 1862 and was buried at Highgate Cemetery. Duncan left £1,500,000 in his will.[1] All 39 of his ships were sold within two years of his death.[1]
