Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh

Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh
Born	Rupert Edward Cecil Lee Guinness
Died	14 September 1967(1967-09-14) (aged 93) Woking, England
Other names	2nd Earl of Iveagh
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician, rower, benefactor
Known for	Leadership of Guinness brewing company; Chancellor of the University of Dublin; founder of Guinness World Records

Rupert Edward Cecil Lee Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh (29 March 1874 – 14 September 1967) was a prominent Anglo-Irish entrepreneur, politician, rower, and benefactor. As the eldest child of Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, he took over as the 20th Chancellor of the University of Dublin from 1927 until 1963, following in his father's footsteps.

Biography

Guinness received his education at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He held the rank of lieutenant in the 1st London Volunteer Force and volunteered for active duty during the Second Boer War, where he served with the Irish Hospital Corps. Politically, he was a Unionist Member of Parliament, representing Haggerston between 1908 and 1910, and later Southend from 1912 to 1927. Additionally, he was a captain in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and became the inaugural commanding officer of HMS President (London Division RNVR) from 1903 through 1920.

Upon succeeding his father in 1927 as Earl of Iveagh, he also assumed leadership of the family brewing enterprise based in Dublin. For over three decades, he oversaw its domestic strengthening and spearheaded international growth by establishing new breweries in London, Nigeria, and Malaya.

An accomplished agriculturist, Guinness converted the sandy shooting grounds at Elveden in Suffolk into fertile farmland by utilizing brewers' grains to improve soil quality. This agricultural advancement was supported by trainees from Chadacre Agricultural Institute, including Victor Harrison who joined in 1933. The Chadacre Trust continues to fund agricultural research under the stewardship of the current Lord Iveagh.

His philanthropic efforts extended into scientific fields as well. After convincing his father to endow the Lister Institute for Preventive Medicine, he served on its governing council and backed the Wright-Fleming Institute of microbiology. He played a key role in founding the Tuberculin Tested Milk Producers Association aimed at eradicating bovine tuberculosis and contributed significantly to establishing the National Institute for Research into Dairying at Shinfield, Berkshire.

By 1932, Lord Iveagh had considerably expanded his dairy herd with an emphasis on tuberculosis-tested cattle—growing from 120 cows in 1927 to more than 700 by 1962—while maintaining meticulous pedigree records.

His charitable activities also benefited Dublin hospitals. In 1939, he gifted his Dublin residence, Iveagh House at 80 St Stephen's Green (currently home to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Ireland)), along with its gardens to UCD.

World War II

With the outbreak of war, the Ministry of Agriculture initiated a ploughing-up scheme to increase food production. Lord Iveagh responded by expanding arable land by 600 acres, which included converting 200 acres of Lucerne leys and previously uncultivated game areas. Although initial harvests failed to cover expenses, he nonetheless agreed to plough an additional 1,000 acres the following year. All newly cultivated land had to be fenced against rabbits amid shortages of wire.

Despite early promising yields, much of his estate was requisitioned by the War Office for tank training exercises. This caused damage to crops and fences and led to severe rabbit infestations. Eventually, only small fenced plots remained suitable for farming, diminishing the overall effectiveness of the project and resulting in considerable food wastage. Still, Lord Iveagh obtained permission to cultivate underutilized requisitioned lands later on, recovering much lost territory by war’s conclusion. Ley acreage further increased by another 1,000 acres, primarily on previously untouched heathland.

Tragically, his sole son Arthur Onslow Edward Guinness, Viscount Elveden, died in Belgium in 1945 after being struck by a V-2 rocket during combat operations.

Post-war

The Forestry Commission aimed to acquire portions of the Elveden Estate for the expansion of Thetford Forest but ultimately deferred to Lord Iveagh in 1952, recognizing his thriving agricultural enterprises.

Under Rupert's leadership, Guinness introduced the Guinness World Records. In search of innovative promotional strategies to boost brand recognition, managing director Sir Hugh Beaver conceived the concept following a discussion at a 1951 shooting party regarding the fastest game bird in Europe. He enlisted Norris and Ross McWhirter to compile the inaugural edition, which was published in 1955. This publication rapidly became a bestseller across Britain and has since sold over 80 million copies worldwide, translated into 38 languages across 77 countries. The franchise subsequently expanded into international television programming and launched its official website guinnessworldrecords.com in 2000.

In 1955, Rupert was honored as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG). He stepped down from his role at Guinness in 1962, passing leadership to his grandson, Lord Elveden. Two years later, at ninety years old, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) for his scientific and agricultural contributions. Lord Iveagh passed away peacefully at his residence in Woking on 14 September 1967.

Family

Rupert married Lady Gwendolen Onslow, daughter of William Onslow, 4th Earl of Onslow, who succeeded him as Member of Parliament for Southend-on-Sea. Together they had five children:

1. Richard Guinness (born 1906)
2. Lady Honor Dorothy Mary Guinness (1909–1976), who married Sir Henry Channon in 1933 (divorced 1945) with whom she had one son; she remarried F/Lt. Frantisek Svejdar in 1946.
3. * Henry Paul Guinness Channon, Baron Kelvedon (1935–2007), married Ingrid Wyndham in 1963; they had three children.
4. Arthur Guinness, Viscount Elveden (1912–1945), wed Lady Elizabeth Hare in 1936; they had three children, nine grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren:
5. * Benjamin Guinness, 3rd Earl of Iveagh (1937–1992), married Miranda Smiley in 1963 (divorced 1984); their family includes four children and nine grandchildren:
6. ** Lady Emma Lavinia Guinness (b. 1963), married James Barnard in 1995; they have two sons.
7. ** Lady Louisa Jane Guinness (b. 1967), married Rupert Uloth in 2001; they have three children.
8. ** Edward Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh (b. 1969), married Clare Hazell in 2001; they have one son.
9. ** Hon. Rory Michael Benjamin Guinness (b. 1974), married Mira Maini in 2006; with three children.
10. * Lady Elizabeth Maria Guinness (b. 1939), married David Nugent in 1960 (divorced 1990); mother to four children; remarried Robert Mays-Smith in 1992.
11. * Lady Henrietta Guinness (1942–1978), married Luigi Marinori in 1978; they had one daughter.
12. Lady Patricia Florence Susan Guinness (1918–2001), who married Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, in 1938.
13. Lady Brigid Katherine Rachel Guinness (1920–1995), wed Prince Frederick of Prussia in 1945; they had five children, fifteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren; she later remarried Major Anthony Patrick Ness in 1967.

Rowing

Rupert Guinness took up rowing during his time at Eton College, securing victory in the School Sculls competition in 1892 and contributing to Eton’s eight winning the Ladies' Challenge Plate at Henley Royal Regatta the following year. At Cambridge University, he was a member of Third Trinity Boat Club but was limited by a heart condition.

He trained under Bill East, the English professional sculling champion, at Thames Rowing Club and became an accomplished sculler himself. As a member of Leander Club, he won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley consecutively in 1895 and 1896, as well as claiming the Wingfield Sculls title—the Amateur Sculling Championship of the Thames and Great Britain—in 1896. His victorious sculling boat is preserved at the River & Rowing Museum located in Henley-on-Thames.

Guinness served as President of Thames Rowing Club from 1911 until his death and held the inaugural presidency of the Remenham Club from its founding in 1914 through to 1938.

In June of 1902, he survived the sinking of the German torpedo boat S.42 near Cuxhaven after it was accidentally struck by SS Frisby while returning from a yacht race. The incident resulted in the loss of the captain and several crew members.

External links

• Virtual tour of Iveagh House