James Ryan

Background

On October 20, 1857 when Ryan was just 15 years old, he and his father started a fishery supply business and public house at Bailey"s Cove, a section of Bonavista.

Career

Ryan married Katherine McCarthy of Carbonear, at Roxbury, Massachusetts on March 2, 1897. This became a successful enterprise and in 1869 Ryan had acquired enough capital to purchase the business premises formerly owned by William Keen. Incorporated in 1870 as James Ryan and Company, the enterprise had expanded beyond Bonavista to other communities along the coast.

Trading operations were soon established at Elliston, Catalina, Bay de Verde, Open Hall and Plate Cove.

The Ryan empire was expanding rapidly and in the mid-1890s they acquired the fishing premises of J. and West. Stewart at Greenspond, which became an integral part of the Ryan mercantile empire. They also operated their own summer fishing stations in Labrador, at such places as Hawk"s Harbour and Batteaux.

Ryan"s businesses were one of the last of Newfoundland firms to use shop assistants who were trained in England, thereby assuring that his employees would be well-versed in the products they were selling. Another important aspect of his business successes was that he dealt directly with the English suppliers and not through the Saint John"s middlemen.

In 1905 Ryan located his main residence to Saint John"s and built a home, which took 2 years (1909–1911), on Rennie"s Mill Road, one of the wealthiest parts of the city.

lieutenant was an imposing structure that was built to his specifications and known simply as The House, where it still stands today. The premises remained dormant for a time before being acquired by Parks Canada in 1991.

Achievements

• Ryan one of the wealthiest people in Newfoundland and founder of a business that eventually became a Newfoundland historic property called Ryan Premises.

Membership

Appointed to the Legislative Council in 1913, he spent four rather quiet years as a member of that chamber before his death at Saint John"s on September 19, 1917.