Samuel Cunard

Samuel Cunard

Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st Baronet (born November 21, 1787 in Halifax , Nova Scotia , † April 28, 1865 in London ) was a Canadian businessman and owner of the Cunard Line .

Cunard was born the son of a timber merchant who fled to Halifax before the American Revolution .

As a very successful entrepreneur in Halifax and as one of twelve influential people who directed the economic fortunes of Nova Scotia, Samuel Cunard went to England , where he and various other businessmen tried to get the rights for a transatlantic shipping company between England and North America . This led to the establishment of Cunard Steamship Limited .

In 1840 the company's first steamship - the Britannia - sailed from Liverpool , England to Boston , Massachusetts. This was the cornerstone for regular freight and passenger traffic across the Atlantic.

The successful company took over the Canadian Northern Steamships Limited and in 1934 its strongest competitor, the White Star Line , owner of the Olympic and former owner of the Titanic . By taking over the main competitors, the Cunard Line dominated the transatlantic traffic.

Cunard also owned several other companies in Canada. His coal company is still one of the largest oil companies in Nova Scotia.

On March 9, 1859, on the proposal of Lord Palmerston , Samuel Cunard was bestowed the hereditary title of Baronet , of Bush Hill in the County of Middlesex, by Queen Victoria . The entire second floor of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax is dedicated to his life and his shipping society.

Sir Samuel Cunard died in London, England in 1865 and was buried in Brompton Cemetery. From his 1815 marriage to Susan Duffus he had nine children, including his heir Sir Edward Cunard, 2nd Baronet (1816-1869).

Literature and web links

• Entry in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography (English)
• Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st Bt. On thepeerage.com