William Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie

The Right Honourable The Viscount Pirrie KP PC PC (Ire)
Lord Lieutenant of Belfast
In office 1911–1924
Preceded by	The Earl of Shaftesbury
Succeeded by	Sir Thomas Dixon
Lord Mayor of Belfast
In office 1886–1898
Preceded by	William McCammond
Succeeded by	James Henderson
Senator
In office 1921–1924
Personal details
Born	31 May 1847 Quebec City, Canada East, Province of Canada
Died	7 June 1924(1924-06-07) (aged 77) At sea off Cuba
Nationality	British
Spouse	Margaret Montgomery Pirrie (m. 1879-1924)
Occupation	Shipbuilder, businessman

William James Pirrie, 1st Viscount Pirrie, KP, PC, PC (Ire) (31 May 1847 – 7 June 1924)^[1] was a leading British shipbuilder and businessman. He was chairman of Harland & Wolff, shipbuilders, between 1895 and 1924, and also served as Lord Mayor of Belfast between 1896 and 1898. He was ennobled as Baron Pirrie in 1906, appointed a Knight of the Order of St Patrick in 1908 and made Viscount Pirrie in 1921. In the months leading up to the 1912 Sinking of the Titanic, Lord Pirrie was questioned about the number of life boats aboard the Olympic-class ocean liners. He responded that the great ships were unsinkable and the rafts were to save others. This would haunt him forever. In Belfast he was, on other grounds, already a controversial figure: a Protestant employer associated as a leading Liberal with a policy of Home Rule for Ireland.