Alfred de Rothschild
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alfred Charles de Rothschild (20 July 1842 - 31 January 1918) was the second son of Lionel de Rothschild and Baroness Charlotte von Rothschild of the prominent Rothschild family.
As a young man, Alfred attended King's College London, and subsequently Trinity College, Cambridge, England, where he would study Mathematics for two terms. It was at Trinity College that Alfred formed a lasting friendship with the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. Alfred left Cambridge University without a degree.
At the age of 21 Alfred took up employment at the N M Rothschild Bank at New Court in London. It was there that he learnt the business of banking from his father and made valuable contacts in European banking circles.
In 1869, at the age of 26, Alfred became a director of the Bank of England, a post he held for 20 years. In 1892 he was one of those who represented the British Government at the International Monetary Conference in Brussels.
Upon the death of his father in 1879, Alfred inherited a 1,400-acre (5.7 km²) estate centered on Halton in Buckinghamshire. As Alfred lacked a country retreat and the Halton estate did not provide one, Alfred set about building a house in the style of a French chateau. Work started around 1880 and Halton House was finished in July 1883. Alfred remained in residence at Seamore Place in London and only ever used Halton House for social purposes.
Although Alfred never married, it is commonly acknowledged that he had a daughter born out of wedlock, Almina Wombwell, 5th Countess of Carnarvon, by Marie Wombwell. In later life Alfred did not enjoy good health and he died after a short illness on 31 January 1918. He was interred in the Willesden Jewish Cemetery in the North London suburb of Willesden.
He was awarded the Legion of Honor by the government of France.
A patron of the arts, he also donated money to the National Art Gallery for acquisitions.
