What was Sir Evelyn De Rothschild's net worth?
Sir Evelyn De Rothschild was a British financier who had a net worth of $2 billion. Sir Evelyn de Rothschild was a member of the wealthy Rothschild banking family. He held executive positions at numerous companies throughout his life, including the Banque Rothschild, IBM United Kingdom Holdings Limited, and De Beers Consolidated Mines. Also involved in philanthropy, de Rothschild founded the Eranda Foundation to support the arts, education, and medicine. He was knighted by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1989.
Early Life and Education
Evelyn de Rothschild was born on August 29, 1931 in London, England as a member of the wealthy Rothschild banking family. His parents were Anthony Gustav de Rothschild and Yvonne Lydia Louise Cahen d'Anvers. During World War II, de Rothschild spent much of his time in the United States. Back in Britain, he was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge, although he dropped out of the latter before earning his degree. As a wealthy bachelor, de Rothschild traveled, socialized, drove exotic sports cars, and did thoroughbred horse racing and polo.
Business Career
In 1968, de Rothschild was appointed a director of the Banque Rothschild, his family's bank in Paris, France. He later took over as the bank's chairman in 1976, succeeding his cousin Victor. De Rothschild took executive positions at a number of other companies in the 1970s. In 1971, he became deputy chairman of Milton Keynes Development Corporation, and in 1972 he became director of IBM United Kingdom Holdings Limited. In the latter year, he also became chairman of the Economist newspaper, a position he held until 1989. From 1977 until 1994, de Rothschild served as director of De Beers Consolidated Mines and chairman of United Racecourses.
In 1982, de Rothschild became chairman of Rothschild's Continuation Holdings, which coordinated his family's merchant banking group. From 1985 to 1989, he was chairman of the British Merchant Banking & Securities House Association. Later, from 1994 until 2003, de Rothschild served as co-chairman of Rothschild Bank, Zurich. With his wife Lynn in 2003, he founded the holding company E.L. Rothschild. Among his other executive positions, de Rothschild served as a director of the newspaper group owned by Lord Beaverbrook, and briefly served as a director of the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
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Other Positions
De Rothschild held many other positions during his life with various major figures and groups. He served as a financial adviser to Queen Elizabeth II, and as a governor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. From 1977 to 1988, de Rothschild served as chairman of the delegation of St. Mary's Hospital Medical School. Elsewhere, he was a member of the council of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, a trustee of the Shakespeare Globe Trust, and chairman of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. In 1990, de Rothschild was the founding chairman of the European Association for Banking and Financial History, a non-profit association in Frankfurt, Germany.
Philanthropy
De Rothschild founded his main philanthropic enterprise, the Eranda Foundation, in 1967. The organization supports the arts, education, and medicine. He also sat on the board of the Snowdon Trust, which gives grants and scholarships to students with disabilities.
(Photo by David Cairns/Daily Express/Getty Images)
Real Estate
De Rothschild had multiple homes, including in London, New York City, and Buckinghamshire. In Buckinghamshire, he lived at Ascott House, set in a 32-acre estate owned by the National Trust.
Personal Life and Death
De Rothschild was married a total of three times. He wed his first wife, Jeannette Bishop, in 1966; they divorced in 1971. In 1973, he married Victoria Schott, with whom he had three children named Jessica, Anthony, and David. Jessica is a theater director, Anthony a businessman, and David an adventurer, environmentalist, and author. Soon after divorcing Schott in 2000, de Rothschild wed his third and final wife, Lynn Forester. Through the marriage, he gained two stepchildren named Benjamin and John.
On November 7, 2022, de Rothschild passed away at his home in London after suffering a stroke. He was 91 years of age.
