John Fitzgerald (brewer)

Sir John Fitzgerald DL JP (1857 – 2 November 1930) was an Irish-born brewer and wine and spirit merchant,^[1] who served as Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne from 1914 to 1915. Born in County Tipperary, he was knighted in the 1920 New Year Honours for his services to Newcastle.^[2] He founded the Sir John Fitzgerald pub chain^[3] that bears his name and was still owned and operated by his descendants until it was purchased by Ladhar Leisure in December 2020.^[4]

He was a prominent Roman Catholic and generous benefactor to church charities.^{[citation needed]} He donated Fitzgerald Hall to the church for use as a children's centre in memory of his son, Lieutenant Gerald Fitzgerald, who was killed in the First World War.^[5]

He left a fortune of in excess of £270,000 (equivalent to £21,561,000 in 2023), including £1,000 bequeathed to the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle for distribution to Catholic charities.^[6]

References

1. Biography, Who Was Who
2. "No. 31712". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1919. p. 2.
3. "Sir John Fitzgerald website". Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
4. Ford, Coreena (7 December 2020). "Crown Posada under new ownership as Sir John Fitzgerald pub group is acquired". ChronicleLive.co.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
5. "Sir John Fitzgerald. Former Sheriff and Lord Mayor of Newcastle". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 3 November 1930. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
6. "Sir John Fitzgerald. Man Who Started Life as Barman Leaves £270,000". Belfast News-Letter. 23 February 1931. p. 9. Retrieved 4 April 2019.