(RightWing.org) – One of the world’s leading financiers has died. Lord Jacob Rothschild was the patriarch of the British branch of the famous Rothschild family and was known for his funding of the arts. He was also a strong supporter of Israel.
Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild was born in Cambridge, England, on April 29, 1936. His father was Victor, the 3rd Baron Rothschild, a talented scientist and cricket player who won the George Medal as an MI5 officer during WWII. Jacob was educated at Eton, one of the UK’s most prestigious private schools, then studied history at Christ Church College, Oxford, gaining a first-class degree.
Jacob Rothschild then went on to work for the family bank, NM Rothschild & Sons, from 1963 to 1980. He eventually resigned after his father, allegedly distracted by his scientific career, lost control of the bank to a distant cousin. He went on to found his own insurance company and build a successful career investing in the oil industry.
In 1990, when his father died, he became the 4th Baron Rothschild and inherited a seat in the House of Lords, where he sat as a “cross-bench” (independent) member until hereditary peers lost their seats in 1999 and were replaced by political appointees.
He also spent a lot of time and money supporting the arts. From 1985 to 1991 he was chairman of trustees at the National Gallery in London. In 1992 he moved to the National Heritage Memorial Fund, which is responsible for preserving cultural sites and objects, and also oversaw the distribution of National Lottery income to heritage projects. He was involved in many independent projects to preserve and restore historic buildings in Britain and Europe and also helped fund government buildings in Israel.
Jacob Rothschild married once, in 1961, to Serena Mary Dunn, who died in 2019. He had three daughters and one son, who is now the 5th Baron Rothschild.
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