Birth of William James Pirrie
William James Pirrie is born in Quebec to James Alexander Pirrie and Eliza Swan Montgomery.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
William James Pirrie Biography and Timeline
Follow William James Pirrie through 35 dated historical records for Canada.
William James Pirrie, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
35Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1847–1912Years on this page
1847
1848
Return to Ireland
Returns to Ireland with his mother after the death of his father in Canada.
1862
Harland and Wolff Apprenticeship
Enters Harland and Wolff at the age of fifteen as a premium apprentice at the Queen's Island shipyard.
1865
Harland and Wolff Draughtsman
Advances from apprenticeship into draughting work while gaining practical knowledge of ship design and construction.
1868
Assistant Management Promotion
Advances into assistant management as his responsibilities within the Queen's Island shipyard increase.
1871
Works Management Responsibilities
Takes on wider works-management responsibilities while Harland and Wolff expands its shipbuilding operations.
1874
Harland and Wolff Partnership
Becomes a partner in Harland and Wolff after rising rapidly through the firm's technical and managerial ranks.
1879
Marriage to Margaret Carlisle
Marries Margaret Montgomery Carlisle, linking him more closely with a family already prominent in Belfast shipbuilding circles.
1884
Virtual Control of Harland and Wolff
Takes virtual control of Harland and Wolff after the founding partners withdraw from active management.
1885
Harland and Wolff Limited Company
Oversees Harland and Wolff as the business is reorganized as a private limited liability company.
1895
Harland and Wolff Chief Executive
Becomes chief executive of Harland and Wolff after the death of Sir Edward Harland.
1896
Shipyard Reconstruction after Fire
Directs major improvements to Harland and Wolff facilities after a serious fire damages parts of the shipyard.
1902
Harland and Wolff Cost Plus Arrangement
Secures arrangements under which Harland and Wolff builds ships for associated companies on a cost-plus basis.
International Mercantile Marine Negotiations
Plays an important role in negotiations that bring White Star Line into J. P. Morgan's International Mercantile Marine combine.
1906
Baron Pirrie Created
Is raised to the peerage as Baron Pirrie of Belfast while continuing to lead Harland and Wolff.
Harland and Wolff Chairmanship Consolidated
Consolidates his control of Harland and Wolff after Gustav Wolff formally retires from the business.
1907
White Star Competitive Strategy
Works with White Star management on a strategy emphasizing size, comfort and luxury rather than record-breaking speed.
1908
Arrol Gantry Construction Programme
Supports erection of the massive gantry structure needed to build the Olympic-class hulls at the Belfast yard.
Belfast Lough Dredging Programme
Supports dredging and deepening work needed to accommodate increasingly large ships built at Harland and Wolff.
Olympic Class Construction Programme
Directs Harland and Wolff's programme to construct the Olympic-class liners for White Star Line.
Olympic Class Yard Expansion
Authorizes major expansion of the Belfast yard so ships of the unprecedented Olympic-class dimensions can be constructed.
Thompson Dry Dock Development
Presses for construction of a large dry dock capable of accommodating the new generation of Olympic-class liners.
Twin Slipway Development
Oversees construction of enlarged slipways required to build Olympic and Titanic side by side at Queen's Island.
1909
Olympic Class Fitting Supervision Plan
Plans to take close personal interest in fitting, decoration and interior arrangements as the Olympic-class ships near completion.
Yard Number 401 Construction
Harland and Wolff begins building Titanic as Yard Number 401 under Pirrie's chairmanship.
1910
Olympic Class Supervision after Carlisle Retirement
Continues overall direction of the Olympic-class programme after Alexander Carlisle retires from Harland and Wolff.
1911
Olympic Delivery Attendance
Joins owner and builder representatives travelling to Olympic after Titanic's launch before Olympic departs Belfast for Liverpool.
Titanic Launch
Harland and Wolff launches Titanic from Slipway Number 3 in Belfast.
1912
Surgery before Titanic Maiden Voyage
Undergoes serious surgery and remains in recovery during the weeks before Titanic's maiden voyage.
Titanic Completion
Harland and Wolff completes Titanic after more than three years of construction and fitting out.
Titanic Maiden Voyage Cancelled by Illness
Misses Titanic's maiden voyage because his doctors consider him insufficiently recovered from surgery to travel.
Titanic Sinking News Received
Learns of Titanic's loss while recovering from surgery at Witley Park in England.
Titanic Sympathy Statement
Issues a public expression of sympathy after learning of Titanic's loss and the deaths of passengers, crew and Harland and Wolff staff.
Titanic Loss Response
Responds publicly and corporately to the loss of Titanic as chairman of Harland and Wolff.
Olympic Safety Refit Programme
Oversees Harland and Wolff as Olympic returns to Belfast for extensive safety modifications following the Titanic disaster.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.