John_Fitzgerald_(brewer)
John Fitzgerald (brewer)
Irish-born brewer and wine and spirit merchant
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 was still owned and operated by his descendants until it was purchased by Ladhar Leisure in December 2020.[4]
He was a prominent Roman Catholic and generous benefactor to church charities.[citation needed] 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.[5]
He left a fortune of in excess of £270,000 (equivalent to £21,561,000 in 2023), including £1,000 bequeathed to the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle for distribution to Catholic charities.[6]