Investment banker. Born in Dundee, Fleming looked to America to invest the huge profits from the Dundee jute industry. He realised the opportunities relating to the great expansion of the USA to the West and in particular he invested in under-valued railway companies. He founded the Scottish American Investment Trust (1873) and was one of the most noted financiers of the economic reconstruction after the American Civil War. By the time of his death, he had built the largest investment trust company in the City of London. The company, now an international investment and merchant bank, still prospers today, with many subsidiaries.
Fleming gave £155,000 to build the streets around Fleming Gardens in Dundee. His fame is somewhat overshadowed by that of his grandson, Ian Fleming, the novelist and creator of James Bond.
