Robert Rundell Guinness
Robert Rundell Guinness | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | March 7, 1857 (aged 67) |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, banker, barrister |
| Years active | 1836–1857 |
| Known for | Co-establishing Guinness Mahon banking institution |
Robert Rundell Guinness (12 December 1789 – 7 March 1857) was an Anglo-Irish financier renowned for co-establishing the Guinness Mahon banking institution in 1836.
As the grandson of Samuel Guinness (1727–1795), a goldbeater based in Dublin, he initiated the family's involvement in banking within the Guinness family lineage.
Family
Robert was born to Richard Guinness (1755–1829), a barrister and judge practicing in Dublin, and Mary Darley, who hailed from a distinguished family known for their contributions to Dublin's construction industry. He was a grand-nephew of the brewer Arthur Guinness and older sibling to Richard Samuel Guinness, a Member of Parliament.
In 1822, he married Mary Anne Seymour, who passed away in 1837 at their residence in Stillorgan, County Dublin. She belonged to an Irish branch connected to the family of the Duke of Somerset. Their union produced three children:
- Mary Catherine (1823–1905), who wed Sir Samuel Ferguson
- Richard Seymour (1826–1915), who joined Guinness Mahon as a banker in 1841 and fathered Benjamin Seymour Guinness
- Henry (1829–1893), who entered banking with Guinness Mahon from 1851
He entered into a second marriage in 1840 with Mary Anne Moore; this marriage resulted in seven offspring, including Revd Robert Guinness (1841–1918) and six daughters who remained without descendants.
His lineage includes grandson Henry Guinness, who became an Irish senator in 1922, and granddaughter Lucy Guinness, who married the artist Philip de László.
Guinness Mahon
Following his family's tradition in law, Robert pursued legal studies at the Kings Inns and was admitted to the bar in Dublin. In 1836, after ending a financial partnership with his brother Richard, he joined forces with John Ross Mahon as land agents under the name Guinness & Mahon; by 1851, the enterprise operated as Guinness Mahon & Company.
The firm moved to distinguished premises on College Green in 1854, broadening its banking activities while incorporating insurance and assurance services.
Upon Robert's death in 1857, his sons Richard Seymour and Henry propelled the bank’s expansion further, negotiating advantageous discounting agreements with the Bank of Ireland by 1873.
Other interests
In 1821, Guinness was appointed a life member of the Royal Dublin Society, where he contributed to various committees including botany (1823–26), economy (1831–38), and statistics (1840–41).