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Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild

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The Right Honourable
The Lord Rothschild
OM GBE CVO
Rothschild in 2008
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
as a hereditary peer
30 April 1991 – 11 November 1999
Preceded byThe 3rd Baron Rothschild
Succeeded bySeat abolished [a] 
Personal details
Born
Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild

(1936-04-29)29 April 1936
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Died26 February 2024(2024-02-26) (aged 87)
London, United Kingdom
Political partyCrossbench (1991–1999)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1961; died 2019)​
Children4 (including Hannah and Nathaniel)
Parent
EducationEton College
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford
OccupationBanker
Known forRothschild banking family of England
AwardsSee list

Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, OM, GBE, CVO (29 April 1936 – 26 February 2024), was a British peer, investment banker and member of the Rothschild banking family. Rothschild held important roles in business and British public life, and was active in charitable and philanthropic areas.

He was the eldest son of Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild. Raised in a background that intertwined Jewish heritage with the tenets of Orthodox Judaism through his mother's conversion, Rothschild's education spanned from Eton College to Christ Church, Oxford, where he performed well in history. His early life was marked by membership of the Bullingdon Club and familial connections, including half-siblings Emma Rothschild and Amschel Rothschild.

Rothschild's business career started at N M Rothschild & Sons in London, though a familial dispute led to his departure in 1980. Despite relinquishing his stake in the family bank, he maintained influence through the Rothschild Investment Trust, now RIT Capital Partners plc, among other ventures. Notable business activities included founding J. Rothschild Assurance Group with Mark Weinberg and participating in high-profile bids and partnerships. His tenure as Deputy Chairman of BSkyB Television and involvement with RHJ International and Blackstone Inc. highlighted Rothschild's diverse business interests, leading to a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order honour in 2020, for services to the Duchy of Cornwall.

Rothschild was married to Serena Mary Dunn, with whom he had four children, continuing the Rothschild legacy. His philanthropic efforts were extensive, chairing and contributing to art and heritage organizations, notably the National Gallery and the Heritage Lottery Fund in the UK. Rothschild's participation in restoring Waddesdon Manor and engagement with the Butrint Foundation in Albania showed his interest to cultural preservation. His chairmanship of Yad Hanadiv reflected his commitment to philanthropy in Israel. Under his leadership, the organization went beyond funding national landmarks and began to focus on education initiatives, environmental pursuits and advancing equal opportunity for Israel's Arab minority.

Early life and education

Born at Merton Hall in Cambridge on 29 April 1936,[1][2] Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild was the eldest son of Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild, by his first wife Barbara Judith Rothschild (née Hutchinson).[3] His father was born into a Jewish family, while his mother converted to Orthodox Judaism when they married.[4] Rothschild was educated at Eton College and then at Christ Church, Oxford, where he gained a First in history, tutored by Hugh Trevor-Roper.[5] At Oxford he was a member of the Bullingdon Club.[6] Emma Rothschild is his half-sister and Amschel Rothschild was his half-brother.

Business career

From 1963, Rothschild worked at the family bank N M Rothschild & Sons in London, before resigning in 1980 due to a family dispute.[3] The chairmanship of the bank had passed from his father, who had chosen to follow a scientific career and had lost control of the majority voting shares, to his distant cousin Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. He sold his minority stake in the bank, but took independent control of Rothschild Investment Trust (now RIT Capital Partners plc), an investment trust listed on the London Stock Exchange.[5]

After resigning from the bank in 1980, Rothschild went on to found J. Rothschild Assurance Group (now St. James's Place plc) with Mark Weinberg in 1991.[7] In 1989, he joined forces with Sir James Goldsmith and Kerry Packer in an unsuccessful bid for British American Tobacco.[3]

Rothschild was Chairman of RIT Capital Partners plc, one of the largest investment trusts quoted on the London Stock Exchange with a net asset value of about £2 billion.[8] He was Chairman of J Rothschild Capital Management, a subsidiary of RIT Capital Partners plc.[9] He also retained many other venture capital and property interests.

From November 2003 until his retirement in 2008, he was Deputy Chairman of BSkyB Television[10] and until 2008 he was a Director of RHJ International. He was also a Member of the council for the Duchy of Cornwall for the Prince of Wales[11] and a member of the International Advisory Board of The Blackstone Group.[12]

Rothschild was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to the Duchy of Cornwall.[13]

Oil interests

In 2003, it was reported that Russian oil industrialist Mikhail Khodorkovsky's shares in YUKOS passed to him under a deal which they had concluded prior to Khodorkovsky's arrest.[14][15]

In November 2010, an entity affiliated with Rothschild purchased a 5% equity interest in Genie Energy, a subsidiary of IDT Corporation, for $10 million.[16][non-primary source needed] In 2013, Israel granted Genie Energy exclusive oil and gas exploration rights to a 153-square mile (396 km2) area in the southern part of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.[17]

Personal life

In 1961, Rothschild married Serena Mary Dunn, a granddaughter of the Canadian financier Sir James Dunn, and they had four children, consisting of three daughters and one son.[18] Lady Rothschild died in 2019.[3] Their four children are:

  • The Hon. Hannah Mary Rothschild Brookfield (22 May 1962). She married William Brookfield in 1994 and they were divorced. They have three daughters.
  • The Hon. Beth Matilda Rothschild Tomassini (27 February 1964). She married Antonio Tomassini in 1991 and they were divorced. They have three children.
  • The Hon. Emily Magda Rothschild Freeman-Attwood (19 December 1967). She married Julian Freeman-Attwood on 25 June 1998. They have two daughters.
  • Nathaniel Philip Victor James Rothschild, 5th Baron Rothschild (12 July 1971).[19] He married Annabelle Neilson on 13 November 1995, and they were divorced in 1997. He married Loretta Basey in 2016.

Rothschild was a member of the Reform Jewish synagogue.[20]

Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, died in London, United Kingdom, on 26 February 2024, at the age of 87.[3][21]

Philanthropy

Jacob Rothschild played a prominent part in Arts philanthropy in Britain. He was Chairman of Trustees of the National Gallery from 1985 to 1991, and from 1992 to 1998, chairman of the National Heritage Memorial Fund. In the 1990s, he was chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund, responsible for distributing the proceeds of the National Lottery to the heritage sector, an influential post which oversaw the distribution of £1.2 billion in grants.[1]

At one time he was also a Trustee of the State Hermitage Museum of St Petersburg (retired 2008);[22] a Trustee of the Qatar Museums Authority (retired 2010);[23] Chairman of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture (2002–2004);[24] Chairman of both the Gilbert Collection Trust and the Hermitage Development Trust, Somerset House;[22] a Trustee and Honorary Fellow of the Courtauld Institute, Somerset House;[25] and a Fellow, Benefactor, and member of the Visitors' Committees of the Ashmolean Museum Oxford (retired 2008).[26] In 2014, he received the J. Paul Getty Medal "for extraordinary achievement in the fields of museology, art historical research, philanthropy, conservation and conservation science".[27]

The central courtyard of Somerset House, London.

Rothschild was especially active in the project to restore Somerset House in London, for which he helped secure the Gilbert Collection and ensured the long-term future of the Courtauld Institute of Art. As a private project, he carried out the restoration of Spencer House, one of the finest surviving 18th century London townhouses, adjacent to his own offices.[28]

In 1993 he joined with John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover, to set up the Butrint Foundation[29] to record and conserve the archaeological site of Butrint in Albania, close to his holiday home on Corfu. Rothschild remained Chairman of the Butrint Foundation up until his death.[30]

Jacob Rothschild also followed the Rothschild family's charitable interests in Israel and was the chairman of Yad Hanadiv, the family foundation which gave the Knesset and the Supreme Court buildings to Israel between 1989 and 2018. Under his leadership, the organization went beyond funding national landmarks and began to focus on education initiatives, environmental pursuits and advancing equal opportunity for Israel's Arab minority.[31] He was also president of The Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe,[32] and patron and chairman of the board of trustees of The Rothschild Foundation.[33] In addition, he was the Honorary President of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.[34]

Rothschild served as a Member of the Arts & Humanities Research Board, set up by the British government, is an honorary fellow of the British Academy, and a Trustee of The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.[35][non-primary source needed]

Rothschild had also been a Member of the UK Main Honours Board (retired 2008); Chairman of the Honours Committee for Arts and Media (retired 2008); Trustee of the Edmond J Safra Foundation (retired 2010); and a Member of committee of the Henry J Kravis Prize for Creative Philanthropy (retired 2010).[citation needed]

Waddesdon Manor

In 1988 he inherited from his aunt Dorothy de Rothschild, the Waddesdon and Eythrope estates in Buckinghamshire, and began a close association with Waddesdon Manor, the house and grounds which were built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 1880s and bequeathed to the National Trust in 1957 by his distant cousin, James A. de Rothschild. He was a major benefactor of the restoration of Waddesdon Manor through a private family charitable trust and, in an unusual arrangement, had been given authority by the National Trust to run Waddesdon Manor as a semi-independent operation.[36] The cellars at Waddesdon Manor house his personal collection of 15,000 bottles of Rothschild wines dating as far back as 1870.[citation needed]

Open to the public, Waddesdon attracted over 466,000 visitors in 2018,[37] with 157,000 visiting the house in 2015.[38] Waddesdon has won many awards over the last 20 years, including Visit England's "Large Visitor Attraction of the Year" category in 2017,[39] Museum of the Year Award and Best National Trust Property.[40]

Rothschild commissioned the 2015 RIBA Award winner Flint House[41] on the Waddesdon Manor estate in Buckinghamshire. Rothschild donated the property to the Rothschild Foundation which manages the rest of the estate for the National Trust.

The estate has been a venue for visiting heads of state including U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.[citation needed] Margaret Thatcher received French president François Mitterrand there at a summit in 1990.[citation needed] It hosted the European Economic Round Table conference in 2002, organised by Warren Buffett and attended by James Wolfensohn, former president of the World Bank, and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.[42]

Honours and awards

In United Kingdom

In the United States

  • The Hadrian Award from the World Monuments Fund – 1995
  • The Classical America – Arthur Ross Award 1998
  • The Iris Foundation Award – the BARD Institute 1999
  • The Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement 2000[49]
  • The Centennial Medal of the American Academy in Rome – 2002
  • The Kennedy Center's International Committee Lifetime Achievement Gold Medal in the Arts Award 2006
  • Royal Oak Foundation "Timeless Design Award" – 2009
  • The J. Paul Getty Medal – 2014

In Continental Europe

In Israel

  • The Sir Winston Churchill Award (2004)
  • The Weizmann Award (50th Anniversary of the State of Israel)
  • Honorary degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • Honorary fellowships from City of Jerusalem and the Israel Museum, the Commonwealth Jewish Council Award.

Arms

Coat of arms of Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
Notes
Coat of arms of the Rothschild family
Coronet
A coronet of a Baron
Crest
1st (centre): issuant from a Ducal Coronet Or an Eagle displayed Sable; 2nd (dexter): out of a Ducal Coronet Or between open Buffalo Horns per fess Or and Sable a Mullet of six points Or; 3rd (sinister): out of a Ducal Coronet Or three Ostrich Feathers the centre one Argent the exterior ones Azure
Escutcheon
Quarterly: 1st, Or an Eagle displayed Sable langued Gules; 2nd and 3rd, Azure issuing from the dexter and sinister sides of the shield an Arm embowed proper grasping five Arrows points to the base Argent; 4th, Or a Lion rampant proper langued gules; over all an Escutcheon Gules thereon a Target the point to the dexter proper
Supporters
Dexter: a lion rampant Or
Sinister: a unicorn Argent
Motto
Concordia, Integritas, Industria (Latin for Unity, Integrity, Industry)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Under the House of Lords Act 1999.

References

  1. ^ a b "Lord Rothschild OM obituary". The Times. 26 February 2024. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Lord Rothschild, brilliant financier who applied his creative brain to arts and heritage – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 26 February 2024. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  4. ^ Perry, Roland (1994). The fifth man. Sidgwick & Jackson. p. 48. ISBN 978-0283062162.
  5. ^ a b Rose, Kenneth (2003). Elusive Rothschild: the Life of Victor, Third Baron. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-81229-6.
  6. ^ Mutch, Nick; Myers, Jack; Lusher, Adam; Owen, Jonathan (6 May 2015). "General Election 2015: Photographic history of Bullingdon Club tracked down - including new picture of David Cameron in his finery". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  7. ^ Peippo, Kathleen (2000). "St. James's Place Capital, plc". International Directory of Company Histories. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  8. ^ RIT Capital Partners Archived 25 August 2004 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "J Rothschild Capital Management Limited: Private Company Information". Bloomberg Businessweek. New York, NY: Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Rothschild to act as BSkyB buffer". The Guardian. 3 November 2003. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  11. ^ "Duchy of Cornwall - Management and Finances". The Official Website for the Duchy of Cornwall. Cornwall, UK: Duchy of Cornwall. 15 November 2011. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  12. ^ "International Advisory Board". New York, NY, USA: Blackstone Group. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  13. ^ "No. 62866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N4.
  14. ^ Arrested oil tycoon passed shares to banker Archived 6 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Times, 2 November 2003. Accessed 27 July 2010.
  15. ^ "Russian tycoon 'names successor'". BBC News. 14 July 2003. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  16. ^ PRELIMINARY INFORMATION STATEMENT OF GENIE ENERGY LTD. Archived 2 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Jerusalem Post. 22 November 2010. Accessed 12 February 2011
  17. ^ Kelley, Michael (22 February 2013). "Israel Grants First Golan Heights Oil Drilling License To Dick Cheney-Linked Company". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  18. ^ Jebb, Louis (26 February 2024). "Jacob Rothschild, banker, collector, philanthropist, and a towering figure in the British art world, has died, aged 87". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  19. ^ The Rothschild Foster Trust: "The descendants of Charles Rothschild" Archived 7 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 27 September 2012.
  20. ^ Stephen Bates (4 March 2024). "Lord Rothschild obituary | Business | The Guardian".
  21. ^ "Jacob Rothschild, Key Member Of Family Bank Empire, Dies At 87". NDTV.com. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Interview in the magazine Russian Journal". Interview with the Director. St. Petersburg, Russia: Hermitage Museum. 4 July 2011 [2004]. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2011. Originally published on 13 January 2004 Russian Journal
  23. ^ "Lord Rothschild named trustee in Qatar". Artshub. England, UK: ArtsHub Holdings P/L. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  24. ^ "The Pritzker Architecture Prize - Jury". Madrid, Spain & Los Angeles, CA, USA: The Pritzker Architecture Prize. 14 September 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  25. ^ Swallow, Dr. Deborah. "The Courtauld Institute of Art : Newsletter Spring 2008 - From the Director". The Courtauld Institute of Art. London, UK: The Courtauld Institute of Art. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  26. ^ Annual Report of the Visitors of The Ashmolean Museum - August 2006—July 2007 (PDF) (Report). Oxford, England, UK: Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  27. ^ Victoria Talbot, 'Second Annual J. Paul Getty Medal Goes to Lord Rothschild', The Beverly Hills Courier, July 25, 2014, Volume XXXXVIIII Number 30, p. 21 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. ^ "Home - Spencer House". Spencer House. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  29. ^ "The Butrint Foundation". Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  30. ^ "Contact and trustees: 1135705 - THE BUTRINT FOUNDATION". London, UK: Charity Commission for England and Wales. Archived from the original on 15 January 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  31. ^ https://www.timesofisrael.com/lord-jacob-rothschild-upheld-familys-legacy-to-benefit-uk-israel-jews-worldwide/amp/ [bare URL]
  32. ^ "Contact and trustees: 1083262 - ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATION (HANADIV) EUROPE". London, UK: Charity Commission for England and Wales. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011. for President, confirmed for Trustee. Alternate Link Archived 24 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ "Contact and trustees: 1138145 - THE ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATION". London, UK: Charity Commission for England and Wales. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011. for Chairman, confirmed for Trustee. Alternate Link Archived 24 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ "Institute for Jewish Policy Research: About us". Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  35. ^ "Contact and trustees: 1127255 - THE PRINCE OF WALES'S CHARITABLE FOUNDATION". London, UK: Charity Commission for England and Wales. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011. Alternate Link Archived 24 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  36. ^ Spence, Rachel (12 May 2012). "Art, chez Rothschild". Ft.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  37. ^ "ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". alva.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  38. ^ 2014-15 Annual Review Archived 17 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine, p. 33. A maximum of 209,200 visitors can enter the house annually.
  39. ^ Visit England 2017 winners Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  40. ^ Hurmalainen, Risto (6 October 2009). "British Castles, Stately Homes and Houses". Castles of the World. Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  41. ^ "Flint House". architecture.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  42. ^ McGinty, Stephen (25 September 2002). "Is Arnold the running man?". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2007.
  43. ^ "No. 56746". The London Gazette. 8 November 2002. p. 13557.
  44. ^ "No. 54993". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1997. p. 8.
  45. ^ "No. 62866". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 27 December 2019. p. N4.
  46. ^ Fellow: Rt Hon Lord Jacob Rothschild Archived 27 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine - website of the British Academy
  47. ^ Senior Fellows Archived 27 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine- website of the Royal College of Art
  48. ^ Two new Honorary Fellows for King's Archived 28 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine - website of King's College London
  49. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement. Archived from the original on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  50. ^ Kidd, Charles; Collins, David; Williamson, Lydia (assistant), eds. (2000). Debrett's peerage and baronetage : comprises information concerningthe Royal Family, the peerage and baronetage. London: Debrett's Peerage Limited. p. 1435. ISBN 9780333545775.
  51. ^ "President Nishani awards British Lords Rothschild and Sainsbury the "National Flag Medal"". Institution of the President of the Republic of Albania. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Baron Rothschild
1990–2024
Member of the House of Lords
(1990–1999) 		Succeeded by
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Baronet
of Grosvenor Place
1990–2024 		Succeeded by
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