When we talk about the Guinness empire, everyone jumps straight to Arthur, the man with the 9,000-year lease. Or they skip to the glitzy "House of Guinness" drama on Netflix. But there is a massive, often overlooked gap in the middle. We’re talking about the kids of Arthur Guinness II.
Arthur II was the one who actually had to turn his father’s "maybe" into a "definitely." He wasn't just a brewer; he was a banker and a politician who basically kept the lights on while Dublin was a mess of post-Union politics. Honestly, if it weren't for his specific brood of children, the name Guinness might just be a footnote in a history book about failed Irish businesses.
He didn't just have one or two kids. Life was different in the 1800s. He had nine children with his first wife, Anne Lee.
The Power Players and the "Black Sheep"
You've probably heard of Benjamin Lee Guinness. He’s the one who eventually became the richest man in Ireland. But he was actually the third son. That matters because, in those days, the third son wasn't usually the one holding the keys to the castle.
- William Smythe Guinness (1795–1864): The eldest. He didn't want the brewery. He went into the Church, becoming a clergyman. It was a respectable path for a firstborn who didn't fancy the smell of hops and mash all day.
- Arthur Lee Guinness (1797–1863): The second son. He actually worked in the brewery until about 1839. Then, things got messy. He resigned after a scandal involving an affair with Dion Boucicault, who was a clerk at the brewery at the time. He ended up being more of an art collector than a beer tycoon.
- Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness (1798–1868): The superstar. He took over sole control in 1839. He’s the reason St. Patrick’s Cathedral still stands—he paid for the restoration himself. He pushed the beer into the global market. Basically, he was the workaholic of the family.
The Daughters Nobody Talks About
History is pretty cruel to the Guinness women. They didn't get to run the company, but they were the ones cementing the family's social status through massive strategic marriages.
Susanna Guinness married a Reverend. Elizabeth married another Reverend. Rebecca married a Baronet. It’s easy to look at this and think they were just "wives," but these connections gave the Guinness men the political cover they needed to operate in a very pro-British, elite environment.
The family tree was a spiderweb. For example, Arthur II's brother Benjamin married Anne Lee’s sister. Then, Arthur II's eldest son William married his own cousin Susan. Keeping it in the family wasn't just a trope; it was a survival tactic for Protestant business families in a Catholic-majority Ireland.
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Why the Second Generation Almost Failed
The 1830s were a nightmare for the brewery. Arthur II was getting old—he lived to be 87, which was ancient for that time—and the partnership with his brothers was dissolving.
By 1840, the business was fractured. If Benjamin Lee Guinness hadn't stepped up to buy everyone out and take total control, the company likely would have been sold off in pieces. The children of Arthur Guinness II weren't just heirs; they were participants in a high-stakes game of "save the family brand."
While his brothers were collecting art or preaching from pulpits, Benjamin was trebling sales. He saw that the Irish rural economy was recovering from the Famine and realized people needed a drink. It sounds cynical, but it’s the cold truth of how the empire survived.
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Quick Snapshot of the Siblings
- The Cleric: William (The one who walked away).
- The Scandal: Arthur Lee (The one who left under a cloud).
- The Titan: Benjamin Lee (The one who won).
- The Socialites: Susanna, Mary Jane, Louisa, Elizabeth, and Rebecca.
The Legacy of the "Banker-Brewer" Kids
Arthur Guinness II children lived through a weird time. They saw Ireland go from a semi-independent kingdom to a province of the UK. They were Unionists, often seen as "more British than the British," yet they were obsessed with Dublin's welfare.
People forget that Arthur II’s kids weren't just rich; they were expected to be useful. Even the ones who didn't brew beer were active in the Dublin Corporation or running hospitals.
The real lesson here? A dynasty isn't built by the founder. It's built by the children who decide not to blow the inheritance. Only one of Arthur II’s sons really "kept" the brewery, but all of them played a role in making the Guinness name mean more than just a pint of stout.
What you should do next
If you're researching the family for a project or just out of curiosity, stop looking at general brewery histories. They gloss over the 1820-1850 period. Instead, look for the Dictionary of Irish Biography entries for Benjamin Lee Guinness or the archives of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. You’ll find the real story of how this specific generation used their wealth to buy political influence that lasted for another century.