John Prentice (businessman)

John Prentice
Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council
In office 1901–1902
Preceded by	Edbert Ansgar Hewett
Succeeded by	William George Bayne
Personal details
Born	(1847-08-07)August 7, 1847 Beattock, Scotland
Died	(1925-04-30)April 30, 1925 (aged 77) Shanghai
Profession	Businessman

John Prentice was the Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council between 1901 and 1902.

Biography

Prentice was born on 7 August 1847 Beattock, Scotland, and educated at Greenock.[1]

Prentice moved to Shanghai 1870 to join Muirhead & Co which was absorbed later by Boyd & Co.. Boyd & Co was subsequently absorbed by Shanghai Dock and Engineering Co, a major shipbuilding company. Prentice rose through the ranks to become the controlling interest and principal of the firm.[2]

He served on the Shanghai Municipal Council and was chairman from 1901 to 1902.[3]

He died on 30 April 1925 following an attack of pneumonia in Shanghai.[4] He was buried in Bubbling Well Cemetery.[5]

A bust of Prentice was placed in the hall of the French Club in Shanghai following his death.[6] A stained glass window in memoriam of Prentice was placed in the Union Church in Shanghai.[7] Route Prentice (now Jinxian Road) in the Shanghai French Concession was named after Prentice.[8]

Marriage

Prentice married Jane Ann Law, the former wife of Mr Alexander Law. She died in 1935 and was buried in the Prentice family plot with her husband.[9]

References

1. Obituary, North China Herald, 2 May 1925, North China Herald, Jan 29, 1927, p158 (birth date)
2. Obituary, North China Herald, 2 May 1925
3. North China Herald, May 15, 1909, p402
4. Obituary, North China Herald, 2 May 1925
5. North China Herald, May 9, 1925, p236
6. North China Herald, June 20, 1925, p462
7. North China Herald, Jan 29, 1927, p158
8. The Old Shanghai A-Z, p220
9. North China Herald, Sept 25, 1935, p513