Northrup: The Life of William Northrup McMillan

Northrup is the story of a big-hearted American millionaire, William Northrup McMillan, who came to Kenya in 1904 on a shooting expedition. He fell in love with the country and bought a large estate and a mountain. Having explored and hunted in Sudan and Ethiopia, he decided his future lay in Kenya and he would help in “opening up a completely new colony.” He poured his large fortune and all his enthusiastic energies into his adopted country, developing his estates, backing new business ventures and providing assistance to the needy. During World War I, he became a British citizen and received a knighthood for his wartime services. Towering over his fellows and weighing in at over 300 pounds, Northrup stood out in a crowd. He was a generous man and his hunting ranch at Juja and his town house at Chiromo were known for lavish hospitality and helped set the fashion for safari tourism. He hosted former US President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909. Northrup later was elected to the Legislative Council. He worked with both Ewart Grogan and Lord Delamere and funded various African training schemes. This book contains completely new research on William Northrup McMillan and his wife Lucie, who have hitherto been shadowy characters in the history of colonial Kenya. Northrup’s death in 1925 robbed Kenya of one of its most colourful and influential pioneering settlers. He is buried on Ol Donyo Sabuk, the mountain he loved so much.