George Lauder Sr. (9 May 1815 – 18 November 1901) was a political leader in Scotland who was the father of Scottish industrialist George Lauder and surrogate father to his nephew

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. He was the also the progenitor of the Lauder Greenway Family. Lauder Sr. has been described as Carnegie's "intellectual father." Lauder was consistently credited by Carnegie throughout his lifetime, saying in his 1920 autobiography: "...a man whose influence on me cannot be underestimated, my Uncle Lauder."

Early life

Lauder Sr. was born in

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

, Scotland to George Lauder and Margaret Muir. His father was a well-to-do owner of a snuff mill that he had inherited from his father. At 25, Lauder opened a shop on 8 High Street Dunfermline (which still stands today, although it is now a café) which would become a de facto school for his nephew and son.

Civic life

As a Chartist, Lauder was deeply involved in securing democratic enfranchisement (voting rights) for all citizens of the United Kingdom which at the time limited legal voting to landowners only. Lauder also championed educational rights reasoning that education was the only sure opportunity for men to achieve anything beyond their initial means. Lauder was closely aligned with his father-in-law, the "fiery orator"

Bailie A bailie or baillie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland. The position arose in the burghs, where bailies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman or magistrate (see bailiff). Baillies appointed the high constables i ...

Thomas Morrison, who led the advanced wing of the

Radicals Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

in the region.

Influence on Andrew Carnegie

Due to his relative affluence, Lauder was well educated and was deeply involved in the formation of Carnegie's worldview. When the Carnegie family decided to move to the United States, they were struggling to make ends meet. It was Lauder Sr. who lent them the money to emigrate. While maintaining correspondence with his young nephew, Lauder groomed his son George as an engineer which led to him working with

Lord Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, (26 June 182417 December 1907) was a British mathematician, Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist and engineer born in Belfast. Professor of Natural Philosophy (Glasgow), Professor of Natural Philoso ...

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. The two younger men, inseparable friends, were also in regular touch as one, Carnegie, would begin to consolidate his control over the manufacture of metals such as steel, while the other, Lauder, would rise as a leading expert on the creation of such metals. By 1890, Carnegie and Lauder (son) were business partners in their sprawling empire and the influence of Lauder (father) would unfurl. Carnegie was determined to have a positive effect on the world and provide opportunities for education for all to level the playing field. This manifested in the public library system created by Carnegie, the myriad institutes and endowments for peace, and a number of universities and colleges including

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

and

Lauder College Carnegie College (formerly Lauder College) is a further education college based in Halbeath, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. It was established in 1899, with financial support from George Lauder and Andrew Carnegie and named after their father and ...

in his hometown of

, Scotland.

Lauder College

As part of Lauder's commitment to equitable education opportunities in Scotland, he founded Lauder College, now known as

Fife College Fife College is a further and higher education college in Fife, Scotland. Campuses The college's main campuses are located in Dunfermline, Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy with smaller campuses in Leven, and Rosyth. The college also operates commu ...

, in 1899. The opening of the college was supported financially by

and George Lauder.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauder, George 1815 births 1901 deaths Lauder Greenway Family Carnegie family Chartists Scottish nationalists Scottish philanthropists Gilded Age Andrew Carnegie People from Dunfermline