Jocelyn Hambro
Jocelyn Olaf Hambro | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 7, 1919 Mayfair, London, England |
| Died | June 19, 1994 (aged 75) Oxford, England |
| Occupation(s) | Merchant banker, philanthropist, horse breeder |
| Years active | 1945–1994 |
| Known for | Chairman of Hambros Bank (1965–1972), founder of J.O. Hambro Capital Management |
Major Jocelyn Olaf Hambro MC (7 March 1919 – 19 June 1994) was a distinguished British merchant banker, philanthropist, and horse breeder. He led Hambros Bank as chairman between 1965 and 1972.
Early life
Born in Mayfair, London on 7 March 1919, Hambro was the son of Olaf Hambro and Winifred Emily Ridley-Smith. The bank Hambros was originally established by his great-grandfather, Carl Joachim Hambro, in 1839. His father held the position of chairman at the bank from 1932 until 1960. Raised at Kidbrooke Park in Sussex and Glendoe near Loch Ness in Scotland, he received his education at Eton College followed by Trinity College, Cambridge. During the Second World War, Hambro served as a Major in the Coldstream Guards, where he was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in Normandy in 1944 but sustained an injury resulting in the loss of his left leg later that year.
Career
Entering the family enterprise in 1945, Hambro developed an export trading firm based in the United States and secured franchises for General Motors and British Motor Corporation. He served as managing director of Hambros Bank from 1947 until 1972 and held the chairmanship from 1965 to 1972. In January 1963, he was instrumental in introducing Eurodollar operations at the bank and later established its Guernsey branch in 1967. He chaired Hambros, Ltd between 1970 and 1983 before becoming its president until 1986, the year he oversaw its sale to Société Générale.
His portfolio included ventures into diamond brokerage, bullion trading, mining, and insurance sectors. Significant investments were made in South Africa’s Union Corporation, Italy’s Società Generale Immobiliare, and the UK’s Taylor Woodrow. He was a founding partner of Hambro Life (which became Allied Dunbar), contributing initial capital, and presided over Phoenix Assurance Co from 1979 to 1985. Between 1982 and 1988, he also chaired the mining company Charter Consolidated.
In 1986, together with his three sons, Hambro established J.O. Hambro Capital Management, where he remained chairman until his passing in 1994. That same year, his son Richard founded J. O. Hambro Investment Management, which rebranded as Waverton Investment Management in 2014.
Equestrianism
An active member of the Jockey Club, Hambro bred Thoroughbred horses on his Gloucestershire estate named Waverton. He was a frequent attendee at events held at Newmarket Racecourse.
Philanthropy
He held leadership roles within charitable organizations including chairmanship and trusteeship of the Henry Smith Charity and membership on the Board of Governors for the Peabody Trust, known for providing affordable housing solutions. Additionally, he served as chairman and treasurer for Blesma, The Limbless Veterans.
Hambro endowed the Joint British Cancer Charities J. O. Hambro Award for Businessman of the Year to support institutions such as Cancer Research UK, Imperial Cancer Research, Marie Curie Cancer Care, and the Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund.
Personal life
He married Ann Silvia Muir, with whom he had three sons:
Subsequently, he married twice more: first to Margaret Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe in 1976, then to Margaret, Countess Fortescue (née Elisabeth Margaret Stratton) in 1988.
Each August, he enjoyed grouse shooting in Scotland.
Death
Hambro passed away on 19 June 1994 in Oxford.