One of David Rennie's trustees was William Mills, provost of Glasgow during the later years of the trusteeship. Note the newspaper connection of his son.
William Mills, Lord Provost, 1834-37
"
THE HON. THE LORD PROVOST,
1834-37.
William Mills of Sandyford was born at Lessudden in Roxburghshire in
the year 1776. Of his parentage and early days we have no information. In
youth, however, he went to America, where he remained long enough to
form business connections, which were maintained thoughout his life-
time. As an importer of Cotton to this country, his name was well
and favourably known, in several of the most important centres of the
States, interested in the trade.
Mr. Mills likewise did much to develop the steam trade of his
native country. So far back as the year 1819, he commenced the traffic
betwixt the Clyde and the Mersey, and may be said to have been the
first to send an efficient steamer to sea, capable of standing all weathers.
This was the Robert Bruce the pioneer of so many fine vessels.
Subsequently he built the Superb, Majestic, and City of Glasgow, all of
which were employed on the station betwixt Liverpool and Greenock.
The Clyde above the latter port, at that period, being too shallow to
admit of their coming to Glasgow.
In the year 1826 Mr. Mills and a fewe friends built, specially for the
trade betwixt London and Edinburgh, the celebrated steamer United
Kingdom. This vessel was considered a great wonder in her day, and
served to inaugurate the class of steamers, which contained all the
luxuries of a palace on land, without losing any of their sea-going qualifica-
tions. After parting with this vessel and otehrs named, he resigned the
trade to younger and fresher hands, but he refrained in future
from taking an active part in such speculations, he always felt proud of
the aid he had given to the development of this now great branch
of our national resources.
Mr. Mills was a Baillie of the Barony of Gorbals, long before the
passing of the New Municipal Act, and a Baillie of Glasgow, the year
before he was made its Chief Magistrate. His term of office as Lord
Provost extended from 1834 to 1837, and in his several magisterial
positions, he appears to have acquitted himself to the satisfaction of his
constituents and the citizens generally. In politics he was a Whig, and
attached to the party that maintained the principles of that school
which had Charles James Fox, Earl Grey, and other celebrated statesmen
of the same stamp as their leaders.
In private life Mr. Mills was well known and highly respected. He
died in Glasgow, on the 8th November, 1857, in the eighty-first year of
his age, His remains rest, in the family vault, in the Necropolis.
<<signed William Mills>>
George Mills, son of Provost Mills, died in Glasgow, aged 73 years, on
12th May 1881. He was connected with the Steam-shipping
trade at Leith, and afterwards at Bowling. When only 27 years of age,
during the time of his father's provostship, he contested the represent-
ation of this City, in the radical interest, against Lord William Bentinck,
but although the favourite at the hustings, he was defeated at the poll
by a considerable majority. At a later period he became a Newspaper
Proprietor in Glasgow. Not meeting with success which he expected,
he again turned his attention to the Steamboat traffic. He built a
Saloon Steamer, on a novel principle, which attracted much notice at the
time, but ultimately proved a failure. Again he tried Journalism and
started the North Star, the first Evening Newspaper published in
Aberdeen. It had not, however, a very long existence. As a writer of
Novels and Sketches of Scottish Life and Character he was more success-
ful. His works are distinguished by humourous and graphic description,
and are among the best of their class. He was a man of goodly presence, and had a
pleasant and cheery manner, which never deserted him, through all the
vicissitudes of his life. He left behind him one son and two daughters.
"
