Frederick William Robin Smith, 3rd Earl of Birkenhead
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Robin Smith, 3rd Earl of Birkenhead (1936 – 16 February 1985). Smith, the grandson of a British Lord Chancellor
, succeeded to the Earldom upon his father's death in 1975.
Writing under his pen name of Robin Furneaux (his courtesy title
prior to his father's death), Lord Birkenhead won the Heinemann Award in 1975 for William Wilberforce (ISBN 9781573833431), his biography of the antislavery campaigner
. He also was known for his 1970 book The Amazon: The Story of a Great River, based on an expedition he made along the Amazon River
in 1968.
He died of a heart attack whilst playing real tennis
at the Leamington Spa
Tennis and Squash Club.
The title became extinct upon his death.
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
, succeeded to the Earldom upon his father's death in 1975.
Writing under his pen name of Robin Furneaux (his courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
prior to his father's death), Lord Birkenhead won the Heinemann Award in 1975 for William Wilberforce (ISBN 9781573833431), his biography of the antislavery campaigner
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
. He also was known for his 1970 book The Amazon: The Story of a Great River, based on an expedition he made along the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
in 1968.
He died of a heart attack whilst playing real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
at the Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
Tennis and Squash Club.
The title became extinct upon his death.