Sir John Ellerman, 2nd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir John Reeves Ellerman, 2nd Baronet (1910–1973) was an English shipowner, natural historian and philanthropist
. The only son and heir of the English shipowner and investor John Ellerman
, he was often said to be Britain's richest man. His sister was the writer Bryher
.
, where as a teenager he wrote an anti-sport novel, Why Do They Like It?, under the pseudonym E. L. Black. He read for the bar
at the Inner Temple
before entering his father's shipping business.
Ellerman was twenty three when his father died in July 1933. His father's estate was assessed for probate at £36.685 million, almost three times the previous record set in the United Kingdom, of which he received around £20 million. He promptly married his Canadian girlfriend, Esther de Sola, of whom his father had disapproved. He oversaw Ellerman Lines
for many years, and was often said to be Britain's richest man.
Ellerman's main interest was the study of rodents. He wrote The Families and Genera of Living Rodents. He also undertook various philanthropies and helped Jewish refugees to escape Nazi Germany, earning the wrath of William Joyce
("Lord Haw-Haw") who attacked him by name in his propaganda broadcasts, incorrectly claiming that he was of Jewish descent.
Shortly before his death he had transferred 79% of the shares in Ellerman Lines Ltd to grant-making trusts: The Moorgate Fund, established 1970, and The New Moorgate Fund, established 1971, were amalgamated as The John Ellerman Foundation in 1992.
He died of a sudden heart attack in 1973. Upon his death, he left £52 million which, after adjusting for inflation, was less than he had inherited.
Ellerman had no children.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. The only son and heir of the English shipowner and investor John Ellerman
John Ellerman
Sir John Reeves Ellerman, 1st Baronet, CH was an English shipowner and investor. He was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in modern British history, and the only Briton of his generation whose wealth rivalled the leading plutocrats of America's gilded age...
, he was often said to be Britain's richest man. His sister was the writer Bryher
Bryher
Bryher was the pen name of the novelist, poet, memoirist, and magazine editor Annie Winifred Ellerman. She was born in September 1894 in Margate. Her father was the shipowner and financier John Ellerman, who at the time of his death in 1933, was the richest Englishman who had ever lived...
.
Life
John Reeves Ellerman was educated at Malvern CollegeMalvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
, where as a teenager he wrote an anti-sport novel, Why Do They Like It?, under the pseudonym E. L. Black. He read for the bar
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
before entering his father's shipping business.
Ellerman was twenty three when his father died in July 1933. His father's estate was assessed for probate at £36.685 million, almost three times the previous record set in the United Kingdom, of which he received around £20 million. He promptly married his Canadian girlfriend, Esther de Sola, of whom his father had disapproved. He oversaw Ellerman Lines
Ellerman Lines
Ellerman Lines was a cargo and passenger shipping company that operated from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was founded in the late nineteenth century, and continued to expand with the acquisition of smaller shipping lines until it became one of the largest shipping...
for many years, and was often said to be Britain's richest man.
Ellerman's main interest was the study of rodents. He wrote The Families and Genera of Living Rodents. He also undertook various philanthropies and helped Jewish refugees to escape Nazi Germany, earning the wrath of William Joyce
William Joyce
William Joyce , nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an Irish-American fascist politician and Nazi propaganda broadcaster to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He was hanged for treason by the British as a result of his wartime activities, even though he had renounced his British nationality...
("Lord Haw-Haw") who attacked him by name in his propaganda broadcasts, incorrectly claiming that he was of Jewish descent.
Shortly before his death he had transferred 79% of the shares in Ellerman Lines Ltd to grant-making trusts: The Moorgate Fund, established 1970, and The New Moorgate Fund, established 1971, were amalgamated as The John Ellerman Foundation in 1992.
He died of a sudden heart attack in 1973. Upon his death, he left £52 million which, after adjusting for inflation, was less than he had inherited.
Ellerman had no children.
Works
- The families and genera of living rodents, 1940 (vol. 1), 1941 (vol. 2)
- Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals, 1758–1946, 1951
- Southern African mammals, 1758–1951: a reclassification, 1953