Paul Le Mesurier (23 February 1755 – 9 December 1805) was a

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

-born merchant, ship-owner, director of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

, a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

, an Alderman of London, and the

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

(1793–94).

Life and career

Le Mesurier was born the son of John Le Mesurier, the hereditary

Governor of Alderney The Governor of Alderney was the title of the Leader of the Channel Island of Alderney between 1660 and 1825. The position eventually became a hereditary governorship after the fief was purchased from the Crown. History In 1660, as a reward fo ...

. In 1776 he went into partnership with his wife's uncle, Noah Le Cras, a London merchant. During the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

the firm had a very profitable business as prize agents. He was made an Alderman of the city in 1784 and served as

Sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery company, livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have ...

for 1786. Le Mesurier was an insurance broker and underwriter at

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gov ...

. He was a shipowner with at least one vessel that was involved in South Seas whaling. In 1784, he was elected a director of the East India Company for the first time, and then re-elected in 1789, 1794, 1799 and 1804, each time serving for the conventional 3 years, except in the last case which was terminated by his death. Le Mesurier was also elected in 1784 to represent

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

in the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...

, retaining the seat until 1796. He was chosen in 1793 to serve as Lord Mayor of London for the following Mayoral year. He was a Colonel in the Honourable Artillery Company from 1795 till hs death.Clayton & Clayton, p.124. Le Mesurier died in 1805 at his home in Upper Homerton, Middlesex. He had married Margaret, the daughter of Isaac Roberdeau of Spitalfields, and had a son and 3 daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Mesurier, Paul 1755 births 1805 deaths Directors of the British East India Company Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 Sheriffs of the City of London 18th-century lord mayors of London 18th-century English politicians British people in whaling Honourable Artillery Company officers Guernsey people

Life and career

See also

References