Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild

Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
Born	Lionel Walter Rothschild; Template:Birth date; London, England
Died	August 27, 1937 (aged 69); Tring Park, Hertfordshire, England
Other names	Baron de Rothschild
Occupation(s)	Banker, politician, zoologist, military officer
Years active	1889–1937
Known for	Zoological collections; recipient of the Balfour Declaration; president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (1925–1926)

Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild (8 February 1868 – 27 August 1937) was a distinguished British figure known for his roles as a banker, politician, zoologist, and military officer, hailing from the influential Rothschild lineage. As an advocate for Zionism, he was the recipient of the Balfour Declaration, which affirmed British endorsement for establishing a Jewish homeland in Mandatory Palestine. Additionally, he held the position of president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews between 1925 and 1926.

Early life

Born in London, Walter Rothschild was the eldest child of Emma Louise von Rothschild and Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild, a prominent financier within the international Rothschild banking empire and the first Jewish individual to receive a peerage in England.

Due to fragile health during his youth, his education was conducted at home before he attended the University of Bonn for a year, followed by studies at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He left Cambridge after two years in 1889 to join the family banking firm and focus on financial training.

From an early age, Rothschild exhibited a strong enthusiasm for zoology, collecting insects and exotic creatures at the family estate located in Tring Park. Although employed at N M Rothschild & Sons from 1889 until 1908, his interest in finance was minimal, leading to his departure at age 40 with his parents’ encouragement to pursue zoological interests. They supported him by creating a museum and financing scientific expeditions worldwide.

Noted for his height of 6 ft 3 in and characterized by a speech impediment alongside a reserved demeanor, Rothschild attracted public attention by traveling in a carriage drawn by four zebras to Buckingham Palace as a demonstration of their domestication. Though he never married, he maintained relationships with two mistresses; one gave birth to his daughter Olga Alice Muriel Rothschild, who later became Baroness Churston.

Zoological career

Rothschild’s academic background included zoology studies at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where his encounter with Albert Günther ignited a particular interest in the classification of birds and butterflies.

Despite health constraints limiting extensive travel beyond Europe and North Africa, from his time at Cambridge onward he employed a team comprising explorers, collectors, taxidermists, librarians, and professional scientists—most notably Ernst Hartert specializing in ornithology and Karl Jordan focusing on entomology—to develop and maintain his vast collections.

At its height, his personal assemblage comprised approximately 300,000 bird skins, 200,000 eggs, over two million butterflies (2.25 million), 30,000 beetles, plus numerous specimens of mammals, reptiles, and fish—representing the largest zoological collection ever accumulated by an individual.

The Rothschild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), noted for having five ossicones rather than two like other giraffes, was named in his honor. Furthermore, his name is associated with 153 insect species, 58 bird species, 17 mammals, among other taxa.

In 1892, he inaugurated his private museum for public viewing. However, following blackmail attempts from a former mistress in 1932, he sold the majority of his bird specimens to the American Museum of Natural History.

In 1933, Rothschild was one of eleven founders who signed the establishment of the British Trust for Ornithology, an organization dedicated to advancing ornithological research within the British Isles.

Upon his passing in 1937, he donated both his museum and extensive collections to the British Museum, constituting its most significant acquisition. Today, the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum situated at Tring forms part of the Natural History Museum.

After visiting Hungary in 1902, Rothschild introduced six live edible dormice (Glis glis) to Tring; some escaped captivity and formed an invasive population spanning approximately 200 square miles near Luton, Aylesbury, and Beaconsfield. Despite their status as pests locally, these dormice remain protected under the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

His accolades include receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Giessen in 1898; appointment as Trustee of the British Museum in 1899; and election as Fellow of the Royal Society in 1911.

Political career

Walter Rothschild represented the constituency of Aylesbury as a Liberal Unionist Party MP following the 1899 by-election and continued in this role until he stepped down at the January 1910 general election.

Military activities

Despite facing health issues, Rothschild maintained a part-time commission in the Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry, a unit within the Territorial Army. He was appointed as a captain in July 1902 and advanced to the rank of major in 1903, before retiring from service in 1909.

Zionism and Balfour Declaration

As a committed Zionist and close confidant of Chaim Weizmann, Rothschild played a significant role in formulating the British statement endorsing the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. On 2 November 1917, he was the recipient of the letter from Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour, known as the historic Balfour Declaration, which affirmed Britain's support for creating "a national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine.

Peerage

Walter Rothschild succeeded his father, Nathan Rothschild, as Baron Rothschild in 1915, holding this British peerage until his death at Tring Park, Hertfordshire in 1937. With no direct legitimate descendants and his brother Charles having predeceased him, the barony was inherited by his nephew, Victor Rothschild.

In addition, he possessed the Austrian noble title "Baron de Rothschild" (Freiherr von Rothschild), which was officially authorized for use within the United Kingdom by royal warrant in 1932, continuing a practice initiated by Queen Victoria’s approval in 1838.

Publications

Rothschild produced approximately 765 works, including collaborations on 27 publications with Ernst Hartert and 16 with Karl Jordan. His output featured 278 articles published in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club and 318 pieces appearing in Novitates Zoologicae, a journal he established in 1894 alongside Hartert and Jordan.

Notable publications include:

External links