Alexander Francis St Vincent Baring, 6th Baron Ashburton (7 April 1898 – 12 June 1991) was a British businessman and politician.

Early life

Baring was born on 7 April 1898. He was the only son of Francis Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton, and the former Claire Hortense. Through his father, he was a member of the German

Baring family The Baring family is a Germans, German and British people, British family of merchants and bankers. In Germany, the family belongs to the ''Bildungsbürgertum'', and in England, it belongs to the Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. History The fa ...

and a descendant of American statesman

William Bingham William Bingham (March 8, 1752February 7, 1804) was an American statesman from Philadelphia. He was a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress from 1786 to 1788 and served in the United States Senate from 1795 to 1801. Bingham was o ...

. He had four sisters, only one of whom married, Aurea Vera Baring, the wife of Maj. Charles Balfour (a grandson of

Mark McDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim Earl of Antrim is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of Ireland and both times for members of the MacDonnell family, originally of Scottish origins. History The MacDonells of Antrim descended from Sorley Boy MacDo ...

). His maternal grandfather was French statesman

Hugues-Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano Hugues-Bernard Maret (, 1 May 1763 – 13 May 1839), 1st Duke of Bassano (''Duc de Bassano''), was a French statesman, diplomat and journalist. Biography Early career Maret was born in Dijon, in the province of Burgundy, as the second son o ...

, and his paternal grandparents were

Alexander Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton Alexander Hugh Baring, 4th Baron Ashburton, (4 May 1835 – 18 July 1889) was a British landowner and Conservative Party politician. Early life Baring was the son of Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton (1800–1868), and his wife Hortense Euge ...

, a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24, ...

, and Leonora Digby (a daughter of

Edward Digby, 9th Baron Digby Edward St Vincent Digby, 9th Baron Digby (21 June 1809 – 16 October 1889), also 3rd Baron Digby in the Peerage of Great Britain, was a British peer. Biography Digby was the son of Admiral Sir Henry Digby, who fought at the Battle of Trafalgar ...

). He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

Career

From 1917 to 1923, during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he saw active service as a Lieutenant with the Royal Scots Greys. After the war, he served as a Managing Director of the family bank, Baring Brothers, from 1928 to 1962. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, he served in the

Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...

as Flight lieutenant in 1939 and as Group captain from 1939 to 1944. After the War, he returned to his career as a director of the bank in the City of London, before serving as chairman from 1962 to 1968. He also served as a director of

Alliance Assurance The Alliance Assurance was formed in 1824. It merged with Sun Insurance in 1959 to form Sun Alliance Insurance. History The Alliance was formed by Sir Moses Montefiore and Nathan Mayer Rothschild (married to sisters) with the intention of crea ...

(from 1932 to 1968), a member of the London Committee of the

Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly known as HSBC (), was the parent entity of the multinational HSBC banking group until 1991, and is now its Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific subsidiary. The largest bank in Hong K ...

(from 1935 to 1939), a director of

Pressed Steel ''Pressed'' is a 2011 Canadian crime drama film directed by Justin Donnelly and starring Luke Goss, Tyler Johnston, Jeffrey Ballard, and Michael Eklund. It is the debut directing project for Justin Donnelly. Plot Business executive Brian Parker ...

(from 1944 to 1966). Ashburton served as Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire from 1951 and 1973 (where he served as a member of

Hampshire County Council Hampshire County Council (HCC) is an English council that governs eleven of the thirteen districts geographically located within the ceremonial county of Hampshire. As one of twenty-four county councils in England, it acts as the upper tier of ...

) and Vice Lieutenant of Hampshire from 1951 to 1960. From 1960 to 1973, he was Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Hampshire and the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

. From 1961 to 1967, he was chairman of the Hampshire Police Authority and High Steward of Winchester in 1967. He served as treasurer of the King Edward VII Hospital Fund for London from 1955 to 1964 and a trustee of the

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

Jubilee Trust from 1949 to 1968. From 1961 to 1973, he was

Receiver-General of the Duchy of Cornwall ''Note: Some of these offices were continued from the Earldom of Cornwall.'' Offices Lord Steward and Lord Warden of the Stannaries in Cornwall and Devon *''See Lord Warden of the Stannaries'' Vice-Admiral of Cornwall *''See List of Vice-Admi ...

Personal life

On 17 November 1924, he was married to Doris Mary Thérèse Harcourt (1900–1981), the eldest daughter of

Lewis Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt Lewis Vernon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt (born Reginald Vernon Harcourt; 31 January 1863 – 24 February 1922), was a British Liberal Party politician who held the Cabinet post of Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1910 to 1915. Lord ...

, and the former Mary Ethel Burns (a niece of J. Pierpont Morgan and granddaughter of

Junius Spencer Morgan Junius Spencer Morgan I (April 14, 1813 – April 8, 1890) was an American banker and financier, as well as the father of John Pierpont "J.P." Morgan and patriarch to the Morgan banking house. In 1864, he established J. S. Morgan & Co. in L ...

). Through her, the family acquired the famous 'Harcourt emeralds'. Together, they were the parents of two sons: * John Francis Harcourt Baring, 7th Baron Ashburton (1928–2020), who married Susan Mary Renwick, a daughter of

Robert Renwick, 1st Baron Renwick Robert Burnham Renwick, 1st Baron Renwick, KBE (4 October 1904 – 30 August 1973), known as Sir Robert Renwick, 2nd Baronet, from 1932 to 1964, was a British industrialist and public servant. Renwick was the only son of Sir Harry Renwick, 1st ...

. They divorced in 1984 and he remarried to Sarah Cornelia Spencer-Churchill, a daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, a grandniece of Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

. * Robin Alexander Baring (born 1931), who married Anne Caroline Thalia Gage (born 1931), eldest daughter of the

High Sheriff of Shropshire This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of Shropshire The sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the high sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibil ...

, Major Edward F. P. Gage of Chateau de Combecave, in 1960. Ashburton and his family lived in Hampshire, where he was active in public life, and later as Lord Lieutenant of the county. Ashburton died in 1991 leaving two sons. The barony passed to his elder son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

. Since his death, his

Garter A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking f ...

banner has been on display at

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

Awards and decorations

* Knight of Justice of the

Venerable Order of Saint John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

(1960) * Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire (1960 to 1973) * Knight Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(

1961 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1961 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

) * Knight Companion of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...

(1969)

Sources

External links

Hansard.millbanksystems.com

Alexander Francis St Vincent Baring, 6th Baron Ashburton
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburton, Alexander Baring, 6th Baron 1898 births 1991 deaths People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Royal Scots Greys officers British Army personnel of World War I Knights of the Garter Knights of the Order of St John Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Lord-Lieutenants of Hampshire Deputy Lieutenants of Hampshire Royal Air Force personnel of World War II

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

British people of American descent British people of French descent British people of German descent Alexander 6 Eldest sons of British hereditary barons