page_title: George McCulloch (mine owner)
section_title: Early life and shipbuilding
hierarchical_section_title: George McCulloch (mine owner) / Early life and shipbuilding
caption_attribution_description: English: George McCulloch John Singer Sargent -- American painter 1901 Boston Athenæum Oil on canvas 27.5 x 21.5 in. Gift of Peggy McCulloch Jacobsen, 1996. Jpg: Boston Athenæum of Fine Arts
context_page_description: George McCulloch was a British businessman and art collector who was the mastermind behind the formation of the Broken Hill Mining Company, a precursor of BHP Billiton. He was the son of James McCulloch, a contractor, and Isabella Robertson, a farmer's daughter. George's father died of cholera in January 1849 when George was one year old, and he was brought up by his mother, who was assisted by his uncle John Robertson, a farmer.
context_section_description: As a young man, circa 1865, McCulloch travelled to Uruguay, South America where his older brothers, John and Allan, were stockmen. At age 21, he returned to Glasgow and, in 1869, formed a partnership with James Patterson, leasing a shipyard at Port Glasgow. McCulloch Patterson and Co., shipbuilders, built several vessels, including the Isabel, Vale of Doon, Loch Dee, Vale of Nith, Firth of Clyde, Maitland, and the Loch Urr, though they made a small loss on most of these vessels; the pair were eventually forced to file for bankruptcy in February 1871.
caption: George McCulloch, John Singer Sargent, 1901
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