Sir James Shaw, 1st Baronet

Who was Sir James Shaw, 1st Baronet?

Sir James Shaw, 1st Baronet, became Lord Mayor of London in 1805. From humble beginnings in a farming family in Ayrshire, he became a successful merchant and politician; he was a relation of Robert Burns and used his wealth to support Burns's orphaned children. As Lord Mayor of London, he led the funeral procession of Lord Nelson in 1806, having established his right to do so and was created baronet twice, in 1809 and 1813. While later Chamberlain of London, he almost lost his own fortune due to injudicious investments, and died, exonerated, in 1843.