Gray Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie

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Alexander Patrick Greysteil "Gray" Hore-Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie PC (born November 26, 1939 ) is a British art historian and politician of the Conservative Party , who was Minister for the Arts from 1983 to 1985 and between 1984 and 1985 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and chairman of the traditional auction house Sotheby’s from 1985 to 1994 .

Life

Origin, title and degree

Hore-Ruthven, son of Major Alexander Hardinge Patrick Hore-Ruthven, who died on December 24, 1942 due to war injuries in Italy , inherited on May 2, 1955 from his late grandfather Alexander Hore-Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie , who was under other Governor of South Australia , Governor of New South Wales and most recently the 10th Governor General of Australia from 1936 to 1945 , the hereditary title of 2nd  Earl of Gowrie , and the associated title of 2nd Viscount Ruthven of Canberra and 2nd Baron Gowrie, of Canberra, Australia and of Dirleton, in the County of East Lothian. In addition, after the death of his great-uncle, Major General Walter Patrick Hore-Ruthven, 2nd Baron Ruthven of Gowrie , he inherited the title of 3rd  Baron Ruthven of Gowrie , of Gowrie in the County of Perth.

After completing his schooling at Eton College , he earned a degree in art history at Balliol College of Oxford University and at Harvard University . The legality as heir to the nobility was recognized by the Lord Lyon King of Arms and entered on April 2, 1959 in the coat of arms of the Court of the Lord Lyon . In the following years he worked as an art historian and wrote books such as Postcard From Don Giovanni (1972).

Member of the House of Lords and Minister of the Thatcher Administration

Because of his hereditary title, the Earl of Gowrie became a member of the House of Lords and served between 1972 and 1974 as Lord-in-Waiting and thus as one of the Parliamentary Directors ( Whip ) of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords. After the defeat of the Conservative Tories in the general election of February 28, 1974 , he became the opposition spokesman for economic affairs in the House of Lords.

After the election victory of the Conservative Party in the general election on 3 May 1979 and the inauguration of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 1979 he became Minister of State in the Ministry of Employment, and was followed between 1981 and 1983 as Minister of State in the Ministry of Northern Ireland one of the closest associates of Northern Ireland Minister James Prior in a Northern Ireland conflict wedding . Subsequently, the Earl of Gowrie, who also became a member of the Privy Council in 1983 , succeeded Paul Channon between June 11, 1983 and his replacement by Richard Luce on September 2, 1985 as Minister of Arts . He also held the post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from September 11, 1984 until his replacement by Norman Tebbit on September 2, 1985 as the successor to Francis Cockfield .

Chairman of Sotheby's and Family

After leaving the Thatcher government, he was chairman of the traditional auction house Sotheby’s between 1985 and 1994 . During this time, Sotheby's achieved record sales of $ 286 million in a single Impressionist auction in May 1990. At the same time he held the post of Provost of the Royal College of Art (RCA) from 1985 to 1994 . He then succeeded Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo, as chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1994 and held this position until he was replaced by Gerry Robinson . From 1995 to 1995 he was chairman of the development company Development Securities plc . The Earl of Gowrie has been chairman of The Fine Art Fund since 2002 .

His only son Patrick Leo Brer Ruthven, Viscount Ruthven of Canberra, born in 1964, emerged from his marriage to Alexandra Bingley in 1962 and divorced in 1974. After divorcing his first wife, the Earl of Gowrie married Adelheid Countess von der Schulenburg on November 2, 1974.

Publications

  • Postcard From Don Giovanni , 1972
  • The Genius of British Painting , 1975

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Alexander Hore-Ruthven Earl of Gowrie
1955 – present 		current title holder
Walter Hore-Ruthven Baron Ruthven of Gowrie
1956 – today 		current title holder
personal data
SURNAME Ruthven, Gray, 2nd Earl of Gowrie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hore-Ruthven, Alexander Patrick Greysteil, 2nd Earl of Gowrie, 2nd Viscount Ruthven of Canberra, 2nd Baron Gowrie, 3rd Baron Ruthven of Gowrie (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British politician and art historian
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1939