Pirrie Family Moves to Ireland
William James Pirrie moved from Canada to Ireland as a young child and grew up in County Down.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
William James Pirrie Biography and Timeline
Follow William James Pirrie through 30 dated historical records for Great Britain.
William James Pirrie, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
30Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1849–1924Years on this page
1849
1862
Pirrie Enters Harland and Wolff
At the age of fifteen, William James Pirrie joined the Harland and Wolff shipyard as an apprentice.
1874
Pirrie Becomes Shipbuilding Partner
Pirrie became a partner in Harland and Wolff after progressing through the company's technical and managerial ranks.
1879
Pirrie Expands Shipyard Management
As a senior partner, Pirrie helped oversee the Belfast firm's growing capacity to build large ocean going vessels.
1880
Pirrie Promotes White Star Partnership
Pirrie cultivated a lasting commercial connection between Harland and Wolff and the White Star Line.
1885
Pirrie Supervises Ocean Liner Production
Pirrie helped steer the shipyard's transition toward increasingly large and complex passenger steamships.
1889
Teutonic Enters White Star Service
Harland and Wolff delivered the White Star liner Teutonic during the period when Pirrie was a senior partner.
1890
Majestic Joins White Star Fleet
The White Star liner Majestic entered service as Harland and Wolff's large passenger vessel programme expanded under Pirrie.
1895
Pirrie Chairs Harland and Wolff
Pirrie became chairman of Harland and Wolff and directed the firm's commercial and shipbuilding strategy.
1896
Pirrie Begins Belfast Mayoralty
Pirrie became Lord Mayor of Belfast while continuing to lead one of the city's largest industrial employers.
1897
Pirrie Continues Civic Leadership
Pirrie served during a further period of Belfast civic leadership while maintaining responsibilities at the shipyard.
1900
Pirrie Leads Chamber of Shipping
Pirrie chaired the United Kingdom Chamber of Shipping, reflecting his standing within the merchant marine industry.
1902
Pirrie Supports Shipping Consolidation
Pirrie supported the creation of the International Mercantile Marine Company and strengthened transatlantic business links.
1904
Pirrie Consolidates Shipyard Control
Pirrie became the dominant director at Harland and Wolff as the company pursued larger vessel contracts.
1906
Pirrie Receives Peerage
William James Pirrie was created Baron Pirrie in recognition of his public and political activities.
1907
Pirrie Advances Olympic Class Designs
Pirrie supported the White Star programme for a new generation of exceptionally large Atlantic liners.
1908
Pirrie Receives Irish Knighthood
Pirrie received the honour of Knight of Saint Patrick during his career as an industrial and political figure.
1909
Olympic Keel Laid in Belfast
Harland and Wolff laid the keel of Olympic as Pirrie's firm began constructing its new class of liners.
1910
Olympic Launched From Shipyard
Harland and Wolff launched Olympic, the first of the large White Star liners overseen by Pirrie's management.
1911
Titanic Launched at Belfast
The Titanic was launched from Harland and Wolff's Belfast shipyard while Pirrie chaired the company.
Pirrie Appointed Belfast Lieutenant
Pirrie was appointed lieutenant of Belfast, adding a ceremonial civic role to his industrial responsibilities.
1912
Pirrie Misses Titanic Voyage
Illness following surgery prevented Pirrie from travelling on Titanic's maiden voyage, which ended in disaster.
Pirrie Confronts Titanic Disaster
After the loss of Titanic, Pirrie's shipbuilding firm came under renewed scrutiny over the liner's construction.
Pirrie Supports Irish Home Rule
Pirrie publicly supported Irish Home Rule, a politically contentious position for a prominent Belfast industrialist.
1914
Britannic Enters Wartime Context
Britannic, the third Olympic class vessel built by Pirrie's firm, was completed amid the outbreak of war.
1915
Pirrie Shipyard Supports War Effort
Under Pirrie's chairmanship, Harland and Wolff contributed shipbuilding capacity to Britain's wartime maritime requirements.
1917
Pirrie Oversees Expanding Wartime Output
Pirrie's industrial leadership continued as his shipyards produced and repaired ships during the First World War.
1919
Pirrie Ends Shipping Control Service
Pirrie retired from a senior wartime and postwar shipping control role while remaining active in shipbuilding.
1921
Pirrie Created Viscount
Pirrie was elevated to Viscount Pirrie following the royal visit to Northern Ireland in 1921.
1924
Pirrie Dies During Atlantic Voyage
Pirrie died aboard ship during a voyage associated with an overseas business journey, ending his long shipbuilding career.
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.