Walter Leaf
Sir Walter Leaf | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Upper Norwood, England |
| Died | March 8, 1927 (aged 74) Torquay, England |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, classical scholar, psychical researcher |
| Known for | Edition of Homer's Iliad; chairman of Westminster Bank; president of the International Chamber of Commerce; psychical research |
| Notable work | The Iliad of Homer: Done into English Prose (1892, 1911) |
Sir Walter Leaf (born 26 November 1852 in Upper Norwood; died 8 March 1927 in Torquay) was a distinguished English banker, classical scholar, and investigator of psychical phenomena. He produced a landmark edition of Homer's Iliad and held leadership roles at Westminster Bank, including director and later chairman. Leaf was instrumental in founding the International Chamber of Commerce, serving as its president, and also led the Institute of Bankers, the Hellenic Society, and the Classical Association. He married Charlotte Symonds, daughter of John Addington Symonds, and was a member of the Cambridge Apostle society.
Academic career
Born on 26 November 1852, Leaf earned a scholarship to Winchester College in 1865 but attended Harrow School as a day student due to his parents' preferences. He matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge with a scholarship in 1870, achieved senior classic status in 1874, and was awarded a fellowship in 1875. Concentrating on the concrete elements of classical antiquity rather than prevailing speculative ideas, he became the foremost Homeric scholar of his era. His two-volume edition of the Iliad (1886–1888) served as the authoritative English translation for many years. Additionally, Leaf translated literary works from Russian and Persian and was proficient in French, Italian, and German. He presided over both the Hellenic Society and the Classical Association, with a particular interest in ancient geographical studies.
Banking
In 1877, Leaf entered the family textile enterprise, ascending to chairman of Leaf & Company Ltd. by 1888. The company merged with Pawson & Co. in 1892, creating Pawsons and Leafs Limited. Leaf became a director of what would become Westminster Bank in 1891 and held the chairman position from 1918 until his passing. Between 1919 and 1921, he led the Institute of Bankers as president. As a founding member of the International Chamber of Commerce in 1919, he was appointed its president in 1925.
Psychical research
As a participant in the Society for Psychical Research, Leaf translated Vsevolod Solovyov's A Modern Priestess of Isis (1895). He examined mediumship phenomena through his study of medium Leonora Piper, concluding that although individual personality does not persist after death, memories belonging to deceased persons may be accessed under certain conditions. This perspective differed from skeptics such as psychologist G. Stanley Hall, who explained Piper's abilities as manifestations of secondary personality.
Death
Following medical advice early in 1927, Leaf traveled to Torquay to improve his health but passed away there after several weeks. His funeral service was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Publications
- The Iliad of Homer: Done into English Prose (1892, 1911) [with Andrew Lang and Ernest Myers]
- A Companion to the Iliad for English Readers (1892)
- A Modern Priestess of Isis (1895) [with Vsevolod Solovyov]
- Versions from Hafiz, an essay in Persian metre (1898)
- Troy: A Study in Homeric Geography (1912)
- Homer and History (1915)
- Quatrains From the Greek (1919)
- Little Poems From the Greek (1922)
- Strabo on the Troad (1923)
- Banking (1927)
- Walter Leaf, 1852–1927: Some Chapters of Autobiography (1932) [with Charlotte Mary Symonds Leaf]
References
- T.E. Gregory, The Westminster Bank through a Century, 2 volumes, 1936 [including a chapter on Leaf]