Sir George Burton Hunter (19 December 1845 – 21 January 1937) was an English shipbuilder based on

Tyneside Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt. The population of Tyneside as publishe ...

Career

Born in Sunderland, Hunter was a pupil under Thomas Meek before being apprenticed to William Pile, his cousin. In 1869 he moved to

Clydeside Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...

where he worked for R. Napier & Sons. He returned to

Wearside Wearside () is a built-up area in both Tyne and Wear and County Durham, Northern England. It is named after the River Wear which flows through it and traditionally all in the County of Durham. In the 2011 census, its official name was the Sunderl ...

in 1873 and formed a partnership with S. P. Austin; this partnership was dissolved in 1879 and instead Burton became Manager of a new firm known as C. S. Swan & Hunter on

. By 1893 the firm was the largest shipbuilder on Tyneside. The business was incorporated in 1895 with Hunter as Chairman. He became

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This f ...

in 1901 and was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed in 1918. Burton acquired Wallsend Hall in 1914 and then presented the hall and its grounds to Wallsend Corporation in 1919: the facility evolved to become the

Sir G B Hunter Memorial Hospital The Sir G B Hunter Memorial Hospital is a health facility at Wallsend Green, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. It is managed by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. History The facility has its origins in a private house, ...

Family

In 1873 he married Annie Hudson: they went on to have four daughters and two sons. He lived at ''The Willows'' in

Jesmond Jesmond is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, situated to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher average house prices than most other areas of the city. H ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

References

1845 births 1937 deaths English shipbuilders People from Sunderland Businesspeople from Tyne and Wear Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire {{Shipbuilding-stub