Abstract
Zachariah Pearson’s life and achievements have long been a source of controversy and can still evoke strong feelings not only in his native Hull but also sometimes much further afield. From one perspective he can be seen as a man who made his own mark on the world, rose to wealth, influence, and municipal distinction through his own efforts: a successful seafarer, businessman and philanthropist who used his accrued wealth to improve the environment and overall well-being of his fellow townsfolk, creating in the process Hull’s first public park which still bears his name. From another angle, he can be perceived as an irresponsible individual who was brought down by his reckless attempts to run the Union blockade of the slave-owning Confederate South in the United States Civil War, his actions made worse by being a native of a town so noted in many ways for its opposition to slavery.
Pearson was born in 1821 into a family living in modest circumstances and was educated at Hull Grammar School. He was clearly drawn to the sea: an unsuccessful stowaway at 12, he began his official life afloat at the age of 15 and was a captain at 21. Thereafter his prosperous rise was swift, within a few years he owned his first ship and, during the 1850s, went into partnership with James Coleman; their firm soon had extensive overseas interests and they built up a substantial fleet. Once he stayed ashore to manage his burgeoning business interests, Pearson energetically entered the local political scene and moved swiftly through the municipal ranks, becoming Lord Mayor for the first time in 1859. In these years he also became noted for his philanthropy, the principal and most long lasting of his efforts in this field being the gift of a substantial piece of land that became Hull’s Pearson Park, the port’s first public park.
The seeds of Pearson’s equally rapid downfall seem to have been sown after he parted company with partner James Coleman, who was perhaps a more cautious individual. Pearson borrowed heavily to expand his fleet, being in retrospect unwisely persuaded by the Overend and Gurney banking house to buy a fleet of Greek steamers and was then seemingly enticed by the potential of making huge profits by running the Union blockade of the South during the Civil War in the United States. Pearson’s fortunes went rapidly downhill thereafter and his key asset, his fleet, was drastically diminished through Unionist seizure and shipwreck. In 1862, he went bankrupt with huge debts and felt obliged to resign during his second term as Mayor of Hull. Thereafter, he dwelt out of the public spotlight in a small house overlooking the park which today remains as his long-term legacy to his home town. He passed away in the 1890s.
The book’s author, Marian Shaw, is a descendant of Pearson and has written a well-researched and compelling account of his life which not only charts his rise from a relatively lowly childhood, bought up from a young age by an uncle after the death of his mother, and examines his early years at sea but also sheds much light on the years of his rise to prosperity and influence, particularly in terms of his business, municipal, and philanthropic interests. Her book also provides an interesting perspective of the events, which led to his quick and complete downfall as well as the circumscribed activities of his later life. He remains an enigmatic and controversial figure but her book does much to illuminate the broader dimensions of both his life and the wider world that he operated within. The book is well illustrated, has some useful maps, and is logically structured. It is of especial value to maritime history students, particularly those who study the United States Civil War or the lives of nineteenth century maritime entrepreneurs, as well as all people with an interest in Hull’s local history. However, although it is clearly the product of wide research, it is somewhat disappointing that the body of the work is not academically referenced.