Andrew Strahan (1749–1831) was an
MP and printer who served as the
King's Printer
The King's Printer (known as the Queen's Printer during the reign of a female monarch) is typically a bureau of the national, state, or provincial government responsible for producing official documents issued by the King-in-Council, Ministers o ...
.
Biography
Andrew Strahan was the youngest son of
William Strahan (1715–1785), and carried on his father's business with success, becoming one of the joint patentees, with
John Reeves and George Eyre as the King's Printer. He retired in 1819. Between 1796 and 1820 he sat in Parliament successively for
Newport,
Wareham,
Carlow Borough,
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the English county, county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the int ...
, and
New Romney
New Romney is a market town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to silt up. New Romney, one of the original Cinque Ports, was once a sea port, w ...
.
Strahan was a close friend of the inventor
John Dickinson
John Dickinson (November 13 Julian_calendar">/nowiki>Julian_calendar_November_2.html" ;"title="Julian_calendar.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Julian calendar">/nowiki>Julian calendar November 2">Julian_calendar.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Julian calendar" ...
(1782–1869) and his family. He recommended the young John Dickinson as an apprentice to the stationer Thomas Harrison in London and supported him financially on several occasions, amongst others to establish himself as a paper trader in 1805 and to set up a paper producing company in 1809, which later evolved into the leading paper and
stationery
Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) ...
company
John Dickinson & Co. Ltd.
Strahan died on 25 August 1831 leaving an enormous fortune. In his will he bequeathed £1,000 to the
Royal Literary Fund, and £1,225 to the
Stationers' Company
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (until 1937 the Worshipful Company of Stationers), usually known as the Stationers' Company, is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was formed in ...
but Strahan also remembered all the Dickinson family, among them John Dickinson, who received £4,000.
[Joan Evans (great niece of John Dickinson): „The Endless Web - John Dickinson & Co. Ltd 1804-1954“, p. 54, Jonathan Cape, London 1955]
References
Sources
* Cochrane, J. A., ''Dr Johnson's Printer : The Life of William Strahan'', 1964
;Attribution
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strahan, Andrew
English printers
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Carlow constituencies (1801–1922)
1749 births
1831 deaths
British MPs 1796–1800
UK MPs 1801–1802
UK MPs 1802–1806
UK MPs 1806–1807
UK MPs 1807–1812
UK MPs 1812–1818
UK MPs 1818–1820