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 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 is still owned and operated by his descendants.

He was a prominent Roman Catholic and generous benefactor to church charities. 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.[4]

He left a fortune of in excess of £270,000 (equivalent to £17,196,000 in 2019), including £1,000 bequeathed to the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle for distribution to Catholic charities.[5]

Footnotes
  1. Biography, Who Was Who
  2. "No. 31712". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1919. p. 2.
  3. Sir John Fitzgerald website Archived 2012-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Sir John Fitzgerald. Former Sheriff and Lord Mayor of Newcastle". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 3 November 1930. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  5. "Sir John Fitzgerald. Man Who Started Life as Barman Leaves £270,000". Belfast News-Letter. 23 February 1931. p. 9. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
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