Robert Ganson (i)
Image kindly supplied by the Shetland Islands Council
Robert Dowell Ganson O.B.E. (b. 25 September 1855, Delting, d. 17 February 1936, Lerwick) was a business chairman, a Lerwick Town Councillor between 1903 and 1932, and a County Councillor, representing Bressay between 1898 and 1913, Sandwick between 1913 and 1919, and Nesting between 1922 and 1928. He was a chairman for the Ganson Bros company which was established in 1883 and operated until the 1970's as a carriage hiring company, and later a garage.
His son, Robert had a similarly notable life in business and local government.
His involvement with Brentham House in Lerwick and that area led to the alley leading to Brentham Court being renamed Ganson Lane.
Contents
Biography
Ganson was first a Law Clerk in Lerwick under J. G. Galloway, the Procurate-Fiscal. With his brother he founded Ganson Bros as carters and hirers and he acquired farmland at the Ness of Sound. He grew Ganson Bros to be the largest and most extensive hiring company in Shetland. This progress was driven by the company's ability to keep up with development in car motor technology.
After his brother passed away, he continued extend his farmland and built several buildings in Lerwick including Brentham Place.
He held a keen interest in agriculture and was a judge at livestock shows, as well as being a prominent member of the Shetland Agricultural Education Advisory Committee. He was also the Clerk to the Bressay School Board from 1872 until 1919 (43 years), the Clerk to the Lerwick School Board from 1890 to 1910 and was decorated with an O.B.E. for his work as Convener on Emergency War Committees.
Political Career
Lerwick Town Council
- Lerwick Town Council Election November 1903
- Lerwick Town Council Election November 1906
- Lerwick Town Council Election November 1908
- Lerwick Town Council Election November 1911
- Lerwick Town Council Election November 1920
- Lerwick Town Council Election November 1923
- Lerwick Town Council Election November 1926
- Lerwick Town Council Election November 1929
Zetland County Council
- 1898 County Council election
- 1901 County Council election
- 1904 County Council election
- 1907 County Council election
- 1910 County Council election
- 1913 County Council election
- 1922 County Council election
- 1925 County Council election
External Links
| Provosts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Goodlad 
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Provost for Lerwick Town Council 1920-1924 |
Succeeded by James Laing 
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| Leaders of the Lerwick Town Council | ||
|---|---|---|
| Councillors | Arthur Edmondston (1818-1823) • Charles Ogilvy Snr (1823-1827) • William Spence (1827-1832) • Charles Ogilvy Jr (1832-1844) • Joseph Leask (1844-1847) • William Sievwright Snr (1847-1856) • Charles Duncan (1856-1862) • Joseph Leask (1862-1865) • Charles Duncan (1865-1874) • William Sievwright Jr (1874-1876) • Thomas Cameron (1876-1883) • John Robertson (1883-1890) • Charles Robertson (1890-1895) • John Leisk (1895-1904) • James Goudie (1904-1907) • Arthur Porteous (1907-1910) • Arthur Laing (1910-1913) • Robert Stout (1913-1915) • Peter Goodlad (1915-1920) • Robert D. Ganson (1920-1924) • James Laing (1924-1927) • John Sinclair (1927-1930) • William Sinclair (1930-1933) • Robert Ollason (1933-1936) • James A. Smith (1936-1941) • Magnus Shearer (1941-1946) • James Aitken (1946-1950) • Robert A. Anderson (1950-1953) • George Burgess (1953-1956) • William Conochie (1956-1959) • Robert Blance (1959-1962) • Harry Gray (1962-1965) • Andrew Nicolson (1965-1967) • Eric Gray (1967-1971) • Bill Smith (1971-1974) • James Taylor (1974-1975) | |
| Conveners | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Grierson |
Convener of the Zetland County Council 1914-1917 |
Succeeded by John W. Robertson |
| Conveners of the Zetland County Council | ||
|---|---|---|
| Councillors | John Bruce (1890-1907) • John Anderson (1907-1910) • James Grierson (1911-1913) • Robert D. Ganson (1914-1917) • John W. Robertson (1918-1923) • Henry Mouat (1924-1927) • James A. Smith (1928-1929) • Magnus Shearer (1930-1935) • Thomas Johnston (1935-1936) • William McDougall (1936-1937) • Adam Halcrow (1937-1938) • Edward Adie (1938-1943) • Robert J. H. Ganson (1944-1947) • William Thomson (1947-1955) • Prophet Smith (1955-1960) • Tom Henderson (1960-1963) • William Hamilton (1963-1967) • Robert A. Johnson (1967-1970) • Edward Thomason (1970-1973) • George Blance (1973-1975) | |
| Zetland County Council | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Meiklejohn |
Member for Bressay 1898-1910 |
Succeeded by Thomas Anderson |
| Preceded by William Shand |
Member for Sandwick 1913-1919 |
Succeeded by William Jamieson |
| Preceded by Robert Hunter |
Member for Nesting 1922-1928 |
Succeeded by Magnus Gray |
| Bressay County Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|
| Councillors | James Meiklejohn (1890-1898) • Robert D. Ganson (1898-1913) • Thomas Anderson (1913-1922 • Allan Roy (1922-1929) • Archibald MacIntyre (1929-1933) • James Smith (1933-1934) • Norman Cameron (1934-1945) • William Collie (1945-1949) • James Smith (1949-1955) • Prophet Smith (1955-1960) • John Smith (1960-1966) • John Scott (1966-1970) • James Irvine (1970-1975) | |
| Nesting County Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|
| Councillors | Robert Bell (1890-1892) • William Levie (1892-1895) • John Small (1895-1910) • James Loggie (1910-1914) • John Pearson (1914-1919) • James Hunter (1919-1920) • Robert Hunter (1920-1922) • Robert D. Ganson (1922-1928) • Magnus Gray (1928-1932) • Thomas Anderson (1932-1935) • William Sutherland (1935-1938) • James Anderson (1938-1945) • Adam Thomson (1945-1948) • John Pearson (1948-1952) • Prophet Smith (1952-1955) • William Hamilton (1955-1973) • Andrew Riddell (1973-1975) | |
| Sandwick County Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|
| Councillors | Sinclair Duncan (1890-1904) • William Smith (1904-1910) • William Shand (1911-1913) • Robert D. Ganson (1913-1919) • William Jamieson (1919-1932) • William Thomson (1935-1955) • James Pottinger (1955-1958) • Robert Bruce (1958-1961) • James Halcrow (1961-1970) • Thomas Stove (1970-1975) | |
