James Matheson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir James Nicolas Sutherland Matheson, 1st Baronet (17 October 1796 – 31 December 1878) born in Shiness, Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, was the son of a Scottish baronet and a trader in India. He attended Edinburgh's Royal High School and the University of Edinburgh.

He moved to China and joined William Jardine in partnership to form Jardine Matheson. He married Mary Jane Percival on 9 November 1843. Matheson bought the Isle of Lewis in 1844 for a £190,000 and built Lews Castle.

In 1845 he began an improvements programme, including drainage schemes, road construction, he increased the programme during the blight and by 1850 had spent some £329,000 on the island. Between 1851 and 1855 he assisted 1771 people to emigrate.

Matheson became a baronet in 1851. He was MP for the Ross and Cromarty constituency of the UK House of Commons from 1852 to 1868. He died in the south of France.

[edit] External links

• Overview of Sir James Matheson
• The Opium Wars: how Scottish traders fed the habit from The Scotsman
• Sir James Matheson a 19th century improver with links to references for further study