Lieutenant-Colonel Brinsley FitzGerald, CB (25 September 1859 – 9 February 1931) was an Irish stockbroker.

Early life

Brinsley FitzGerald was born on 25 September 1859, the fourth son of Sir Peter FitzGerald, 1st Baronet of Valencia, 19th Knight of Kerry (1808–1880) and Julia Hussey. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

and

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

Career

FitzGerald worked as a

land agent Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts. Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the landed gentry, supervising the farming of the prop ...

in Ireland for seven years, and from 1895 until 1918 was a member of the

London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St P ...

, with the firm of Basil Montgomery FitzGerald and Co. He was appointed a

second-lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 19 ...

in the

West Somerset Yeomanry The West Somerset Yeomanry was a Yeomanry regiment of the British Army. First raised in 1794, it participated in the Second Boer War and World War I before being converted to an artillery regiment. It served in World War II (as two field artille ...

on 18 January 1900. Following the outbreak of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

in late 1899, he had volunteered for active service and was attached as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

to the 25th Company of the 7th Battalion,

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...

, on 24 February 1900. The company left the United Kingdom for South Africa in the SS ''Mahratta'' in early March 1900. After arrival, FitzGerald served with the company, and later as ADC to General French, for which he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Queen's Medal with six clasps. He also served during the European War as private secretary to French in 1914, for which he was awarded the CB (in 1916), the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

and the Order of Leopold.

Personal life

In 1918, he married Margarita (née Armstrong) Drexel (1867–1948), the former wife of banker Anthony Joseph Drexel Jr., son of banker

Anthony Joseph Drexel Anthony Joseph Drexel Sr. (September 13, 1826 – June 30, 1893) was an American banker who played a major role in the rise of modern global finance after the American Civil War. As the dominant partner of Drexel & Co. of Philadelphia, he founde ...

(1826–1893). Margaretta and Drexel were married from 1886 until their divorce in 1917, seven months before she wed FitzGerald. Brinsley and Margarita did not have any children, however, Drexel had four children from her previous marriage: Margaretta Drexel (the wife of

Guy Finch-Hatton, 14th Earl of Winchilsea Guy Montagu George Finch-Hatton, 14th Earl of Winchilsea and 9th Earl of Nottingham OBE DSC (28 May 1885 – 10 February 1939) was an English peer and banker. Finch-Hatton was brother to renowned big-game hunter Denys Finch Hatton and his dau ...

); Anthony Joseph Drexel II (who married Marjorie Gould, eldest daughter of

George Jay Gould I George Jay Gould I (February 6, 1864 – May 16, 1923) was a financier and the son of Jay Gould. He was himself a railroad executive, leading the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (DRGW), Western Pacific Railroad (WP), and the Manhatt ...

);

John Armstrong Drexel John Armstrong Drexel (October 24, 1891 – March 4, 1958) was an American aviation pioneer who was a member of the prominent Drexel family of Philadelphia. Early life Drexel was a son of Anthony Joseph Drexel Jr. (1864–1934) and Margarita Arm ...

, aviation pioneer; and Louis Clapier Norris Drexel (who married Nancy Grayson, daughter of Sir Henry Grayson, 1st Baronet). FitzGerald lived at Ashdown Park, Ashbury, Swindon, and was a member of

White's White's is a gentlemen's club in St James's, London. Founded in 1693 as a hot chocolate shop in Mayfair, it is the oldest gentleman's club in London. It moved to its current premises on St James's Street in 1778. Status White's is the oldes ...

and the

Royal Yacht Squadron The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to w ...

, Cowes. He died on 9 February 1931.''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

1929–1940'', p. 452.

References

1859 births 1931 deaths People educated at Rugby School Alumni of University College, Oxford British stockbrokers West Somerset Yeomanry officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I Younger sons of baronets Companions of the Order of the Bath {{Ireland-bio-stub