Sir William McOnie DL LLD (1813–1894) was a Scottish merchant who served as Lord Provost of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

from 1883 to 1886.

Life

He was born in

Port of Menteith Port of Menteith ( gd, Port Loch Innis Mo Cholmaig) is a village and civil parish in the Stirling district of Scotland, the only significant settlement on the Lake of Menteith. It was established as a burgh of barony, then named simply Port ( gd ...

on 3 March 1813 the eldest of three brothers. In 1840 he set up business with his brother Peter as a victualler on Main Street in the

Cowcaddens Cowcaddens ( sco, Coucaddens, gd, Coille Challtainn)
...

district. Peter died in 1850 and in 1851 he joined his other brother, Andrew, at 1 Scotland Street in

Tradeston Tradeston () is a small district in the Scottish city of Glasgow adjacent to the city centre on the south bank of the River Clyde. Geography Tradeston is bounded by the River Clyde to the north, the Glasgow to Paisley railway line to the so ...

as "W & A McOnie" engineers and millwrights. William was then living at 27 Waterloo Place,

Kingston, Glasgow Kingston is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, from which the Kingston Bridge takes its name. Together with Ibrox, it forms one of the 56 neighbourhoods of Glasgow defined by Glasgow City Council for operational purposes. The area was assigned to ...

. The census of that year describes him as a "brass founder". He specialised in machinery for sugar refinery and plantation machinery. He joined the Glasgow town council in 1867. In 1871 he was one of the original directors of

Craigton Cemetery Craigton Cemetery is a cemetery in south-west Glasgow dating from the mid-19th century. It stands on Berryknowes Road. The cemetery has a Jewish section containing 230 graves. The cemetery also contains 251 commonwealth war graves from the Fir ...

Company. By 1881 he was living at "Heath Bank" on St Andrews Road in the

Kinning Park Kinning Park is a southern suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. It was formerly a separate police burgh between 1871 and 1905 before being absorbed by the city. In 1897, it had a population of 14,326.Govan Parish School Board, ''The Members' Year Book 1 ...

district. By then he was employing 252 people in his foundries. He was also Chairman of the African Steam Navigation Co and a Director of

Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a Scottish shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy ...

.William McOnie
Grace's Guide. Retrieved 1 July 2018. In 1883 he was elected Lord Provost of Glasgow. He was knighted by

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 ...

at Blythswood in 1888. He gifted a set of stained glass windows to

Pollokshields Pollokshields ( gd, Buthan Phollaig, Scots: ''Powkshiels'') is an area in the Southside of Glasgow, Scotland. Its modern boundaries are largely man-made, being formed by the M77 motorway to the west and northwest with the open land of Pollok C ...

Church. He died at Heath Bank on 3 February 1894. He is buried in

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typical for the period, only ...

. The grave lies in one of the north-south rows in the south-east section of the upper plateau. He also has a memorial in

Family

He was married to Jean or Jane Stirling (1818-1867) from Renton, Dunbartonshire. They had one son, also William McOnie. Following Jane's death in 1867 he married Jane Jack Mitchell (1829-1920) in

in 1868. She is buried with him in the

. His son William McOnie Jr. (1851-1887) predeceased him.

Artistic Recognition

Whilst in office as Lord Provost he was portrayed by the then young George Reid RSA, one of his earlier commissions.

References

1813 births 1894 deaths Lord Provosts of Glasgow 19th-century Scottish businesspeople People from Stirling (council area) {{Scotland-business-bio-stub