Edmund Leopold de Rothschild
Edmund Leopold de Rothschild | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 January 1916 Westminster, London, England |
| Died | 17 January 2009 (aged 93) |
| Occupation | Financier |
| Known for | Member of the Rothschild banking family of England; chairman of N M Rothschild & Sons (1970–1975); horticulturist awarded Victoria Medal of Honour |
Major Edmund Leopold de Rothschild (2 January 1916 – 17 January 2009) was a distinguished English financier, part of the notable Rothschild banking family of England, and was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH) by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Life and career
Born in Westminster, London, he was the eldest son and second child of Lionel Nathan de Rothschild and Marie Louise Eugénie de Rothschild, née Beer. Commonly known as Eddy de Rothschild, his education included time at Lockers Park School, Harrow School, and Trinity College, Cambridge. Following his university studies, he embarked on extensive travels before joining the family firm, N M Rothschild & Sons. During World War II, he served as an artillery officer with the Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry, seeing action in France, North Africa, and Italy, and subsequently attained the rank of major within the Jewish Infantry Brigade.
After being demobilised in 1946, Rothschild resumed his career at N M Rothschild & Sons. Under the guidance of his uncle, Anthony Gustav de Rothschild, he became a partner and was instrumental in broadening the bank’s reach. He held the position of chairman between 1970 and 1975. Known for his dynamic approach to business development, he crossed the Atlantic over 400 times, playing a pivotal role in fostering British commercial ties with postwar Japan. Additionally, he contributed significantly to the Rothschild consortium that established the British Newfoundland Development Corporation aimed at mineral exploration in Labrador, Canada, and the construction of the Churchill Falls hydroelectric project.
Rothschild was deeply involved in philanthropic efforts and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1997. Remaining active well into his nineties, he served as President of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women (AJEX). In 1998, he appeared in Chuck Olin’s documentary In Our Own Hands, which focused on the unique all-Jewish combat unit during WWII.
Beyond his financial career, he was an avid art collector and devoted considerable attention to restoring Exbury Gardens in Hampshire—a property inherited from his father that had deteriorated during wartime. His horticultural knowledge earned him a seat on the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In recognition of his contributions to horticulture, he received an accolade from the American Rhododendron Society in 2001 and was honored with the Royal Horticultural Society’s Victoria Medal of Honour in 2005. Rothschild set up a charitable trust to oversee Exbury Gardens, involving his children in its management.
In 1949, he authored Window on the World, chronicling his global journey from 1937 to 1939. His memoirs were published under the title A Gilt-Edged Life in 1998.
Private life
On 22 June 1948, Rothschild wed Elizabeth Edith Lentner. The couple had four offspring: Katherine Juliette (born 1949), who married Marcus Agius; Nicholas David (born 1951); along with twins David Lionel and Charlotte Henriette (born 1955). Following Elizabeth Lentner de Rothschild’s death in 1980, Edmund remarried Anne Kitching two years later.
He died in 2009 at the age of ninety-three.