Sir Robert McConnell Lord Mayor of Belfast

Sir Robert John McConnell, 1st Baronet (6 February 1853 – 22 April 1927) was created

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1900, and served as

Lord Mayor of Belfast The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairperson of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 60 councillors. The Lord Mayor also serves as the representative of the city of Belfast, welcoming guests from across the Un ...

1900–1901.

Biography

Robert John McConnell was the son of Joseph McConnell (1829–1872) of Clougher,

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, and Elizabeth McConnell (née McBride). He was born on 6 February 1853. McConnell set up in business as a rent agent in 1874, opening an office in Lombard Street, Belfast. The firm prospered, and with his brother Thomas, he became a prominent property developer, building small terraced houses in poorer sections of the city, and larger, speculative developments in more affluent suburbs. The area behind Queen's University, popularly known as the Holyland, with its biblically named streets, was so named after McConnell, a devout

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, returned from a visit to

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

and

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with his developer friend James Rea in the 1890s. In 1900 McConnell was elected

, and the same year was made

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

on the occasion of her visit to Dublin. McConnell served one term, and

Sir Daniel Dixon Sir Daniel Dixon, 1st Baronet, (28 March 1844 – 10 March 1907) was an Irish businessman and politician. Early life Dixon was born on 28 March 1844 the son of Thomas and Sarah Dixon of Larne, County Antrim, his father was a merchant and ship ...

was elected in 1901.Belfast City Council website
Former Lord Mayors
He also served as a magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim.

Personal life

McConnell married Mary Smiley in 1874. Together they had nine children, six of whom survived infancy, including

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

(1877-1942) who became the second Baronet. Another son, William, joined the 3rd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles, and was killed in action in World War II. The family resided at The Moat, Strandtown, Belfast. After Mary's death, McConnell married Elsie Hewson in 1897. He died in 1927.

Legacy

R J McConnell & Co, estate agents, continued trading under the leadership of his son, Sir Joseph McConnell and later his grandson, Sir R M Terence McConnell. In 1973 the firm amalgamated with Ephraim Brown & Son, another long-standing development company which had been established by rent agent Ephraim Brown in 1854. The firm trades today as Brown McConnell Clark McKee.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Robert 1853 births 1927 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Lord Mayors of Belfast Businesspeople from Belfast