Walter Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Walter Horace Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted MC
(13 March 1882 – 8 November 1948) was a British peer
and former Chairman of the Shell Transport and Trading Company. He was also a prominent art collector, storing many of his pieces at his family home at Upton House in Warwickshire
, and a philanthropist. He was a member of the anti-Zionist Jewish Fellowship, which was founded in 1942.
and his wife Fanny Elizabeth Samuel. He was born in London
, UK and was educated at Eton College
before going up to New College, Oxford
. Samuel initially pursued a career in the British Army
, serving in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry
and eventually reaching the rank of Captain. It was during his Army career that he served in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, gaining the Military Cross
(MC) and being mentioned in dispatches
twice. Lord Bearsted also served in the Second World War, gaining the rank of Colonel
with the intelligence corps.
and uncle had founded in 1897 and succeeded his father as Chairman in 1921 upon Lord Bearsted's retirement. Samuel himself became the 2nd Viscount Bearsted, along with a Barony and Baronetcy, upon his father's death in 1927. He spoke only on the topics of petroleum and Jewish affairs when sitting in the House of Lords
.
into a haven for his beautiful and ever-increasing collection. Among his artwork features pieces by Rembrant, Canaletto
, George Stubbs
, Hans Holbein the Younger
and Hogarth
. His house and collection was donated to the National Trust
in 1948 in order to preserve it for the British
public to enjoy.
Lord Bearsted was Chairman of the Trustees of the National Gallery, as recorded in 1936, and a Trustee of the Tate Gallery
, as recorded in 1938. In addition, he made many donations to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford
and served as Chairman of the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London
in the years preceding his death.
Coming from a Jewish family, Samuel supported many Jewish charities including financing the Bearsted Memorial Hospital in Stoke Newington
and the Bearsted maternity home at Hampton Court. He also campaigned for the emigration of Jews from Nazi Germany
during the 1930s and for peace to be restored in Palestine
.
. His wife became Viscountess Bearsted, or Lady Bearsted socially, when her husband inherited his father's titles in 1927. Lady Bearsted died on 19 December 1949. The couple had four children:
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Walter Horace Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(13 March 1882 – 8 November 1948) was a British peer
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and former Chairman of the Shell Transport and Trading Company. He was also a prominent art collector, storing many of his pieces at his family home at Upton House in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, and a philanthropist. He was a member of the anti-Zionist Jewish Fellowship, which was founded in 1942.
Education and Army career
Samuel was the son of Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount BearstedMarcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted
Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted JP , known as Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Baronet between 1903 and 1921 and subsequently as The Lord Bearsted until 1925, was the founder of the Shell Transport and Trading Company, a precursor to Royal Dutch Shell.-Career:Samuel was born into a Jewish family in...
and his wife Fanny Elizabeth Samuel. He was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK and was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
before going up to New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
. Samuel initially pursued a career in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, serving in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry
Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry
The Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry can trace its origins to 1794 when local volunteer troops were raised to assist the civil powers. Each Troop was about 50 strong with three officers , they were required to provide their own uniforms and mounts while the government would supply their arms and...
and eventually reaching the rank of Captain. It was during his Army career that he served in the First World War between 1914 and 1918, gaining the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(MC) and being mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
twice. Lord Bearsted also served in the Second World War, gaining the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
with the intelligence corps.
Shell Transport and Trading Company
Samuel became a director of the company that his fatherMarcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted
Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted JP , known as Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Baronet between 1903 and 1921 and subsequently as The Lord Bearsted until 1925, was the founder of the Shell Transport and Trading Company, a precursor to Royal Dutch Shell.-Career:Samuel was born into a Jewish family in...
and uncle had founded in 1897 and succeeded his father as Chairman in 1921 upon Lord Bearsted's retirement. Samuel himself became the 2nd Viscount Bearsted, along with a Barony and Baronetcy, upon his father's death in 1927. He spoke only on the topics of petroleum and Jewish affairs when sitting in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Art collecting and philanthropy
Samuel's father had donated money to the Maidstone Museum in which his son's Japanese collection, inspired by the family's oriental business activities, was displayed. Lord Bearsted continued to collect art after inheriting his father's titles and transformed Upton House in WarwickshireWarwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
into a haven for his beautiful and ever-increasing collection. Among his artwork features pieces by Rembrant, Canaletto
Canaletto
Giovanni Antonio Canal better known as Canaletto , was a Venetian painter famous for his landscapes, or vedute, of Venice. He was also an important printmaker in etching.- Early career :...
, George Stubbs
George Stubbs
George Stubbs was an English painter, best known for his paintings of horses.-Biography:Stubbs was born in Liverpool, the son of a currier and leather merchant. Information on his life up to age thirty-five is sparse, relying almost entirely on notes made by fellow artist Ozias Humphry towards the...
, Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
and Hogarth
Hogarth
-People:* Burne Hogarth, American cartoonist, illustrator, educator and author* David George Hogarth, English archaeologist* Donald Hogarth, Canadian politician and mining financier* Paul Hogarth, English painter and illustrator...
. His house and collection was donated to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in 1948 in order to preserve it for the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
public to enjoy.
Lord Bearsted was Chairman of the Trustees of the National Gallery, as recorded in 1936, and a Trustee of the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
, as recorded in 1938. In addition, he made many donations to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and served as Chairman of the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the years preceding his death.
Coming from a Jewish family, Samuel supported many Jewish charities including financing the Bearsted Memorial Hospital in Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
and the Bearsted maternity home at Hampton Court. He also campaigned for the emigration of Jews from Nazi Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the 1930s and for peace to be restored in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
.
Personal life
Samuel married Dorothy Montefiore Micholls on 23 July 1908 at West End Synagogue in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His wife became Viscountess Bearsted, or Lady Bearsted socially, when her husband inherited his father's titles in 1927. Lady Bearsted died on 19 December 1949. The couple had four children:
- Marcus Richard SamuelMarcus Samuel, 3rd Viscount BearstedMajor Marcus Richard Samuel, 3rd Viscount Bearsted TD DL was a British peer and a director of numerous companies, including Lloyds Bank.-Education and Army career:...
(1 June 1909–15 October 1986) - Peter Montefiore SamuelPeter Samuel, 4th Viscount BearstedMajor Peter Montefiore Samuel, 4th Viscount Bearsted MC TD was a British peer and former Deputy Chairman of Shell Transport and Trading.Samuel was commissioned into the Warwickshire Yeomanry in March 1936...
(9 December 1911–9 June 1996) - Daphne Isobel Samuel (21 April 1913–14 February 1914)
- Anthony Gerald Samuel (18 February 1917–3 January 2001)
Titles and Honours
- Mr Walter Samuel (1882–1918)
- Mr Walter Samuel MC (1918–1921)
- The Hon. Walter Samuel MC (1921–1927)
- The Rt. Hon. The Viscount Bearsted Bt. MC (1927–1948)