John Coates-Campbell or John Coats Campbell of Clathick (1721–1804) was an 18th-century Scottish merchant and philanthropist who served as
Lord Provost of Glasgow 1788 to 1790.
Life
He was born in 1721 the son of Archibald Coates and his wife Jean Campbell heiress to the Clathick estate in the parish of
Monzievaird in
Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
.He adopted the surname of Campbell in order to inherit the Clathick estate: a 1000 acre estate with a large mansionhouse.
John became 6th laird of Clathick but spent much of his time as a tobacco merchant in
Glasgow where he was one of the "Virginia Dons". He owned a large swathe of land in the city known as the Ryding district.
He was joint founder of the
Thistle Bank
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. ...
(formally known as Maxwell, Ritchie & Co) in 1761 along with
John Glassford, James Ritchie of Busbie and Sir Walter Maxwell of Pollok.
He was
Dean of Guild from 1767. From 1771 to 1786 he was a Baillie of the city.
[Illustrated Catalogue of the Exhibition of Portraits in the New Galleries of Art in Corporation Buildings] In 1783 he was co-founder of the
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...
along with
Gilbert Hamilton of Glenarbuck
Gilbert Hamilton of Glenarbuck (1744–1808) was an 18th/19th century Scottish merchant who served as Lord Provost of Glasgow 1792 to 1794. His skeletal appearance and dress resulted in his being called a "scarecrow of a provost".
Life
He ...
.
[ In 1787 he is listed as a member of the Clyde Marine Society and on the Committee for the Management of the Forth and Clyde Navigation. He is also listed as ]Preceptor
A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition.
Buddhist monastic orders
Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...
of Hutchesons' Grammar School.
In 1788 he succeeded John Riddell as Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was succeeded in 1790 by James McDowall. The city had a population of around 50,000 at this time.
From 1790 he retired from most public duties (including Chief Magistrate) and devoted himself to improving and repairing various hospitals, principally St Nicholas Hospital of which he had been "preceptor" since 1788. Despite much financial input the hospital was demolished in 1808 soon after Campbell's death (1804).[
Clathick House survives (in a remodelled form) and is now a listed building.]
Family
He married Agnes Colquhoun, daughter of Laurence Colquhoun of Killermont. Their eldest surviving son Archibald Campbell (1756–1820) inherited the Clathick estate on the death of his father. When Archibald additionally inherited Killermont
Glasgow Golf Club, founded in May 1787, is the ninth oldest golf club in the world. It has changed location several times during its history, but has been based at Killermont in Bearsden since 21 May 1904. The Club is unusual in also having a li ...
House from his mother's family he changed his name to Archibald Campbell-Colquhoun
Archibald Campbell Colquhoun (8 September 1756 – 8 December 1820) was a Scottish politician and lawyer from Glasgow.
Life
He was born in Glasgow in 1756, the only son of John Campbell of Clathick, Perthshire, Lord Provost of Glasgow 1788/90, a ...
under which name he was renowned as a politician.[
]
Artistic recognition
He was portrayed by Sir Henry Raeburn.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, John Coats
1721 births
1804 deaths
Scottish landowners
Scottish philanthropists
Lord Provosts of Glasgow