Alexander Perceval (merchant)
Alexander Perceval | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1821 |
| Died | May 8, 1866 (aged 44–45) |
| Occupation(s) | Trader, Businessman |
| Known for | Taipan of Jardine, Matheson & Co., Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Member of Hong Kong Legislative Council |
Alexander Perceval (1821–8 May 1866), occasionally spelled "Percival," was a prominent British trader who played a significant role in the commercial expansion of Hong Kong. He was the third son of Colonel Alexander Perceval, who served as a Member of Parliament for County Sligo and held the position of serjeant-at-arms in the House of Lords. His mother, Jane Anne, was the daughter of Colonel L'Estrange from King's County, Ireland.
Biography
Born in 1821, Perceval was connected through family ties to Mary Jane Perceval, the spouse of James Matheson, one of the founders of Jardine, Matheson & Co. He began working at the company as a clerk in 1850 and advanced to partner status by 1853. By 1862, he had become the Taipan of Jardine's and held an unofficial seat on Hong Kong's Legislative Council between 1860 and 1864. Additionally, he was appointed as the inaugural chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.
Having amassed considerable fortune in Asia, Perceval returned to Ireland in 1860 where he acquired the family estate known as Temple House in County Sligo. He passed away there in 1866 at the age of 44.
Offspring
Perceval's child, Robert Jardine Percival, died at nineteen months old in 1852 and is interred at Hong Kong Cemetery.
Legacy
Percival Street on Hong Kong Island bears his name as a tribute to his contributions.