Sir Marcus Samuel, Viscount Bearsted

Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted, was a prominent British businessman instrumental in the formation of the Royal Dutch Shell company. He took over his father's import-export business in London in 1878, expanding it to include kerosene shipments and eventually operating tankers to the Far East.1

In 1897, Samuel established the "Shell" Transport and Trading Company, Limited, to manage his growing oil interests. He was knighted in 1898 and later became Viscount Bearsted in 1925. His company merged with the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company in 1907, creating the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, which became one of the world's largest oil corporations.1