Gustav Wilhelm Wolff

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Wolff, Gustav Wilhelm (1834–1913). Co-founder of the Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff. Wolff, of German Jewish descent, was the nephew of the Liverpool business tycoon G. C. Schwabe. He joined the Belfast shipyard Robert Hickson & Co. as personal assistant to the manager, Edward Harland, and assisted Harland in his purchase of the company in 1858. Wolff was at first in charge of the drawing office, later—in 1861—entering into a full partnership with Harland. His business acumen was of considerable value to the firm, with which he remained associated until 1906. However, his verdict on his entrepreneurial record was modest: ‘Sir Edward [Harland] builds the ships, Mr Pirrie makes the speeches, and, as for me, I smoke the cigars.’ Like Harland he was an active Conservative and Unionist politician, representing East Belfast in Parliament (1892–1910). Sitting together in the House of Commons, Harland and Wolff were dubbed by the parliamentary wags ‘Majestic’ and ‘Teutonic’ after two of their shipyard's finest vessels.

Alvin Jackson

Wolff, Gustav Wilhelm (1834–1913), Belfast shipbuilder. Wolff was born in Hamburg and served an apprenticeship with the Manchester engineering firm of Joseph Whitworth & Company. In 1861 Wolff entered into partnership with Harland to form Harland & Wolff. Although in the early years Wolff was responsible for managing the yard, he was later influential in securing orders from other shipping lines in Britain and in Hamburg. By the time the partnership became a limited company, in 1888, Wolff played little active part in the business, and devoted his attention instead to the management of the Belfast Ropeworks, which he had helped found in 1872–3, and which became one of the largest ropeworks in the world. Wolff was also a Belfast harbour commissioner 1887–93, and became Unionist MP for East Belfast 1892–1910. He retired formally from Harland & Wolff in 1906.

FG/ and Frank Geary