Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster

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Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster , TD , JP , DL , (born April 24, 1910 in London , † February 19, 1979 in Enniskillen ) was a British soldier, landowner, businessman and politician. He was Britain's richest man in the 1970s.

Origin and early years

Robert Grosvenor's father had the same name as his son and was in turn the sixth son and tenth child of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster with his second wife Katherine Cavendish. His mother was Mabel Crichton, daughter of John Crichton, 4th Earl Erne . Grosvenor received his school education in Eton . There he was a member of the Junior Division in the Officer Training Corps and achieved the rank of Lance Corporal .

In 1963 Robert Grosvenor's cousin and previous title holder died and Robert's brother Gerald became the new Duke of Westminster . A Royal Warrant of Precedence allows him to be addressed as Lord Robert Grosvenor . After his brother's death in 1967, he became the 5th Duke of Westminster. The family is descended from Gilbert le Gros Veneur , a nephew of William the Conqueror . The family's wealth is largely based on their own farmland that was cultivated and became part of London in the 19th century.

Military career

In June 1938 Robert Grosvenor was enlisted as a second lieutenant in the Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade of London, a British territorial army of the Royal Artillery . At the end of the war he was a major .

On May 1, 1947, Grosvenor was transferred to the London Yeomanry and promoted. In 1949 he moved to the Yeomanry North Irish Horse . In November 1949 he was awarded Efficiency Decoration (TD) for his long service in the Territorial Army and in 1954 he received another medal. In February 1956 he was released from active service and placed on the list of reserve officers. In April 1960 he resigned for good, but was allowed to hold the rank of lieutenant colonel . In addition, he was since 1971 Colonel of Honor of the North Irish Horse .

Political career

Robert Grosvenor lived mainly in Northern Ireland . His residence, Ely Lodge , is on a peninsula on Lough Erne near Enniskillen . In 1952 he was appointed High Sheriff of Fermanagh . In the general election in 1955 , he was elected for the constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the Parliament and in 1959 re-elected. In 1964 he retired from the House of Commons; he was succeeded by his cousin James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn . In Parliament, he was particularly involved in his own constituency, but also worked on the Adoption Act 1964 , a law that aimed to increase the number of adoptions .

Grosvenor also took his seat in the House of Lords from 1967 , but despite his political experience never gave a speech there.

family

Grave of the 5th Duke of Westminster

Robert Grosvenor was married to Viola Maud Lyttelton, daughter of John Cavendish Lyttelton, 9th Viscount Cobham, since December 1946; the couple had three children:

  • Leonora Mary Grosvenor (born February 1, 1949), married to Thomas Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield,
  • Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster (* December 22, 1951 - † August 9, 2016), married to Natalia Phillips,
  • Jane Meriel Grosvenor (born February 8, 1953), married to Guy David Innes-Ker, 10th Duke of Roxburghe.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b London Gazette . No. 34527, HMSO, London, July 1, 1938, p. 4245 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  2. ↑ a b London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 38119, HMSO, London, November 7, 1947, p. 5294 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  3. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 38641, HMSO, London, June 17, 1949, p. 2990 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  4. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 38757, HMSO, London, November 11, 1949, p. 5351 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  5. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 40307, ​​HMSO, London, October 26, 1954, p. 6049 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  6. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 40744, HMSO, London, March 30, 1956, p. 1954 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  7. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 42043, HMSO, London, May 24, 1960, p. 3726 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
  8. ↑ Belfast Gazette . No. 1593, HMSO, Belfast, January 4, 1952, p. 2 ( PDF , accessed October 18, 2013, English).
predecessor Office successor
Gerald Grosvenor Duke of Westminster
1967-1979 		Gerald Grosvenor
personal data
SURNAME Grosvenor, Robert, 5th Duke of Westminster
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Westminster, Robert George Grosvenor, 5th Duke of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British soldier, landowner, businessman and politician, Member of the House of Commons
DATE OF BIRTH April 24, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH 19th February 1979
Place of death Enniskillen