Edward Mountain

Sir Edward Mortimer Mountain, 1st Baronet (1872–1948) was the founder of Eagle Star Insurance which became one of the largest insurance companies in the United Kingdom.

For the politician, see Sir Edward Mountain, 4th Baronet.

Career

Educated at Dulwich College, Edward Mountain initially joined a Lloyd's underwriting firm.[1] He later established his own broking firm, Hawley Mountain, which, following a merger, became Gardner Mountain.[1]

In 1904 he acquired the marine insurance business of British Dominions Insurance and formed British Dominions Marine Insurance Company.[1] He then established a reputation for himself by refusing to insure the RMS Titanic on her maiden voyage.[1] During 1916 and 1917 he acquired, in quick succession, the Eagle, Sceptre and Star Insurance Companies integrating them with his own business to create Eagle & British Dominions, which grew to become one of the largest insurance companies in the United Kingdom.[1]

He was knighted in 1918 and made a baronet in 1922.[1]

During 1934 he organized a search for the Loch Ness Monster.[1][2]

He died in 1948 at Dunkeld House in Perthshire.[1]

Family

In 1897 he married Evelyn Ellen Regina Seigle (died 1950) and together they went on to have one son, Brian Edward Stanley (1899–1977), who inherited the title and also took on managing Eagle Star.[1][3]

The family Motto is Cum cruce salus.[4]

Heraldic Achievement

His coat of arms was: Ermine on a fess Azure between three lions rampant guardant Sable each holding between the forepaws an escallop Gules three cross crosslets Argent. The accompanying crest is: Issuant from the battlements of a tower Proper a demi lion guardant Argent holding between the paws an escallop Gules.[4]

References
  1. Edward Mountain at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  2. R. Binns (1983) The Loch Ness Mystery Solved ISBN 0-7291-0139-8, pages 36–39
  3. The Peerage sourced from Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition,2003
  4. "Surrey coats of arms" (PDF).


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.