Leopold de Rothschild
Leopold de Rothschild CVO (
November 22,
1845 â€"
May 29,
1917) was an
English banker,
thoroughbred race horse breeder, and a member of the prominent
Rothschild banking family of England.
Known all his life as Leo, he was the third son and youngest of the five children of
Lionel de Rothschild (1808-1879) and
Charlotte von Rothschild (1819-1884). He was educated at
Trinity College,
Cambridge and entered
N M Rothschild & Sons in
London, the family's banking business.
On the passing of his uncle
Baron Mayer de Rothschild in 1874, Leopold inherited
Ascott House in
Ascott, Buckinghamshire. He later purchased
Gunnersbury Park, an estate that at one time had been the residence of
Princess Amelia, daughter of
King George II. The mansion today houses the Gunnersbury Park Museum.
In 1881, Leopold de Rothschild married Marie Perugia (1862-1937). She was the daughter of the
Trieste merchant Achille Perugia. Her sister Louise married
Arthur Sassoon. A close friend, H.R.H.
Edward,
Prince of Wales attended the wedding at London's Central Synagogue. The marriage produced three sons:
*
Lionel Nathan (1882-1942)
*
Evelyn Achille (1886-1917)
*
Anthony Gustav (1887-1961)Sons Evelyn and Anthony served with the
Buckinghamshire Yeomanry during
World War I. Evelyn was killed in action.
An art collector, Leopold de Rothschild owned a number of important paintings by artists such as
Jan Davidszoon de Heem. Rothschild was also active in the Anglo-
Jewish community, serving as vice-president of the Anglo-Jewish Association, chairman of the Jewish Emigration Society, and a treasurer of the London Jewish Board of Guardians. An avid sportsman, Rothschild established Southcourt Stud in
Southcote, Bedfordshire. He assembled a stable of some of the best thoroughbreds in Europe, his horses winning a number of prestigious races including the
Epsom Derby,
St. Leger Stakes and the
Two Thousand Guineas.
Leopold de Rothschild was made a commander of the
Royal Victorian Order in 1905. On his passing in 1917, he was interred in the family plot in the
Willesden Jewish Cemetery in the
North London suburb of
Willesden.
* See the list of references at:
Rothschild banking family of England
