| John Stroyan | |
| Death Place: | Lanrick Castle, Doune |
| Occupation: | Businessman, politician |
| Spouse: | Edith Dean |
| Parents: | John Stroyan |
| Children: | John Robert Stroyan (b 1890) Ronald Strathearn Stroyan (b 1890) |
John Stroyan (1856 – 5 December 1941) was a Scottish industrialist and businessman. He was a Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) for West Perthshire from 1900 to 1906.
Stroyan was born in 1856, the eldest son of John Stroyan of Kirkchrist,[1] a Galloway gentleman-farmer.[2]
In South Africa, he became a merchant and was due to return to Scotland aged 32 having made a small fortune when he heard of the discovery of gold in the Rand. Staying on, he became associated with Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato and amassed a vast fortune.[2] He was "known to be a lecher and a financial swindler, attracting investments to useless mining propositions".[3]
After returning from Africa, he was selected to succeed Sir Donald Currie as candidate for West Perthshire at the 1900 general election. A report at the time described him thus:
He won the election, after which he was consulted by Joseph Chamberlain on reconstruction measures after the Boer War.[2] At the following general election, in 1906 he lost the seat to David Charles Erskine in a Liberal landslide.[3]
He died, aged 85, on 5 December 1941, at his home, Lanrick Castle, in Doune,[4] previously the property of the Liberal MP, Sir Robert Jardine.[5] He left an estate of over £200,000.[6] [7]
Stroyan married Edith Dean in 1889. They had two sons, John Robert Stroyan (b 1890) and Ronald Strathearn Stroyan (b 1890). His granddaughter was Sheila Stroyan, a well-known golfer,[2] who with her father, John Robert Stroyan, won the inaugural "Family Foursomes" contest over the Old Course at Burhill Golf Course.[8] She was British girls' champion,[9] and held the Dutch title for two years before competing in the US women's championships at Noroton, Connecticut, in 1939.[10]