Leopold de Rothschild

Leopold de Rothschild (November 22, 1845 – May 29, 1917) was a British banker and thoroughbred race horse breeder and a member of the prominent Rothschild family.

Leopold de Rothschild was the third son and youngest of the five children of Lionel de Rothschild (1808-1879) and Charlotte von Rothschild (1819-1884). He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge and entered N M Rothschild & Sons; in London, the family's banking business.

On the passing of his uncle, Baron Mayer de Rothschild in 1874, Leopold inherited Ascott House in Ascott, Buckinghamshire. He later purchased Gunnersbury Park, an estate that at one time had been the residence of Princess Amelia, daughter of King George II. The mansion today houses the Gunnersbury Park Museum.

In 1881, Leopold de Rothschild married Marie Perugia (1862-1937) . A close friend, H.R.H. Edward, Prince of Wales attended the wedding at London's Central Synagogue. The marriage produced three sons:

1. Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (1882-1942)
2. Evelyn de Rothschild (1886-1917)
3. Anthony de Rothschild (1887-1961)

An art collector, Leopold de Rothschild owned a number of important paintings by artists such as Jan Davidszoon de Heem. Rothschild was also active in the Anglo-Jewish community, serving as vice-president of the Anglo-Jewish Association, chairman of the Jewish Emigration Society, and a treasurer of the London Jewish Board of Guardians. An avid sportsman, Rothschild established Southcourt Stud in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. He assembled a stable of some of the best thoroughbreds in Europe, his horses winning a number of prestigious races including the Epsom Derby, St. Leger Stakes and the Two Thousand Guineas.

Leopold de Rothschild was made a commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1905. On his passing in 1917, he was interred in the family plot in the Willesden Jewish Cemetery in the North London suburb of Willesden.

Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.

Submit a Site - Open Directory Project - Become an Editor