William Cunninghame

William Cunninghame na Lainshaw (1731-1799) ɗan kasuwa ne na Scotland kuma jagorancin Ubangiji na taba wanda ya jagoranci ɗayan manyan ƙungiyoyin Glasgow waɗanda suka mamaye kasuwancin taba na Atlantic.  Yawancin taba da aka kawo daga gonakin bayi na Arewacin Amurka an sayar da su ga Faransa. Daga baya ya kuma sami ƙarin arziki ta hanyar adana taba da aka saya a farashi mai tsada jim kadan kafin Juyin Juya Halin Amurka, yana zaton cewa Burtaniya ba za ta iya riƙe iko a kan yankunanta masu tawaye ba, sannan ta sayar da shi a farashi mafi girma. Gidan Cunninghame (ya canza kuma ya fadada) na neo-classical a kan titin Sarauniya na Glasgow a yau yana da tarin Gallery of Modern Art.

 Rayuwa ta farko 
An haifi Cunninghame a shekara ta 1715  a Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, a cikin dangin 'yan kasuwa masu arziki. Ya kasance dangi na jini na Andrew Cochrane na Brighouse (1693-1777), wanda ya kasance daya daga cikin manyan Lord Provosts na Glasgow. Dangantakar iyali tana da matukar muhimmanci wajen taimakawa wajen gina wadatar Cunninghame.

 Ayyuka 
Cunninghame ya fara tafiya zuwa Amurka a shekara ta 1746 a matsayin matashi a kamfanin Cochrane, Murdoch & Company. Bayan shekaru hudu na horo an inganta shi ya zama manajan kuma a cikin 1752 ya zo ya kula da duk kasuwancin kamfanin a Virginia.

A shekara ta 1762 ya koma Scotland, inda ya zama babban abokin tarayya a kamfanin Cochrane, Murdoch & Co. A farkon shekarun 1770 ya canza sunan kamfanin zuwa William Cunninghame & Company, kuma ya girma ya zama ɗaya daga cikin manyan masu shigo da kaya biyar na birnin.

Sau biyu a shekara jirginsa - mai suna The Cunninghame - ya isa Chesapeake Bay, cike da kayan alatu na Turai kamar kayan azurfa da kayan daki, kuma a shirye yake tattara Taba don fitarwa zuwa Turai. Cunninghame, kamar sauran 'yan kasuwa na Glasgow, sun ba da bashi ga masu shuka don ba su damar siyan kayayyaki daga kantin sayar da kamfanin kafin a sayar da taba a kasuwa. Koyaya, masu shuka da yawa sun sami kansu cikin bashi sosai kuma ta haka ne aka tilasta su karɓi farashi mai ƙarancin amfanin gonar su. An san Cunninghame da bayar da farashi har zuwa 10% a ƙasa da darajar kasuwa ga masu shuka da ke cikin damuwa.

 Juyin Juya Halin Amurka 
Cunninghame ya sami wadata mafi girma daga karancin taba da ya haifar da yakin neman 'yancin Amurka. A lokacin barkewar yaƙi, abokan kasuwancin Cunningham sun sami kansu suna da tarin taba da suka saya kusan pence uku a kowace fam. Yayin da yaƙi ya fara rushe cinikayya farashin ya tashi, kuma abokan hulɗa na Cunningham, da tabbacin cewa za a ci nasara da masu mulkin mallaka masu tawaye nan ba da daɗewa ba, sun sayar da kayansu a kan peni shida a kowace fam. Cunningham ya ɗauki akasin haka kuma da kansa ya sayi dukkan hannun jarin su. A ƙarshe, yayin da yaƙin ya rushe kayan aiki, farashin taba ya tashi zuwa shillings 3 da sixpence, yana ba da babbar arziki ga Cunninghame.

Kamar yawancin 'yan kasuwa masu arziki na Glasgow, Cunninghame ya yi amfani da wasu ribar da ya samu don sayen dukiyar ƙasa. A shekara ta 1778 ya sayi £ 26,200 don dukiyar Lainshaw, a Ayrshire. Ya kuma sayi dukiya a cikin Cow Loan a Glasgow, wanda ya sake masa suna Queen Street bayan matar George III, kuma a cikin 1780 ya gina babban gida a cikin salon neo-classical a farashin £ 10,000, babban kuɗi a lokacin.

A shekara ta 1779 ya kammala hauhawarsa zuwa ga masu arziki masu arziki ta hanyar yin rajistar gashin makamai na iyalinsa a ofishin Ubangiji Lyon a Edinburgh .  A shekara ta 1780 Cunninghame ya yi ritaya daga kasuwancin taba, kodayake bai kai shekara hamsin ba.

 Rayuwar iyali 
Cunninghame ya yi aure sau uku kuma yana da 'ya'ya goma sha huɗu. Ya kori 'ya'yansa maza na fari Thomas da Alexander kuma ɗansa na uku William Cunninghame ne wanda daga ƙarshe ya gaji dukiyar a shekara ta 1799.

A yau fadar Cunninghame ta neo classic a kan titin Sarauniya ta Glasgow tana da tarin Gallery of Modern Art . 

 Manazarta