Janet Gladys Aitken, later Campbell, Montagu, and Kidd, (9 July 1908 – 18 November 1988) was a Canadian-British aristocrat and socialite. The daughter of

Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), generally known as Lord Beaverbrook, was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics o ...

, she grew up at

Cherkley Court Cherkley Court, at the extreme southeast of Leatherhead, Surrey, in England, is a late Victorian neo-classical mansion and estate of , once the home of Canadian-born press baron Lord Beaverbrook. The main house is listed Grade II on the Nation ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. She was the first wife of Ian Campbell, later the Duke of Argyll, and the mother of

Lady Jeanne Campbell Lady Jeanne Louise Campbell (10 December 1928 – 4 June 2007) was a British socialite and foreign correspondent who wrote for the ''Evening Standard'' in the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Campbell was the daughter of Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th ...

. Her second husband, who was a son of the 9th Earl of Sandwich, died in World War II. She married a third time to the Canadian army officer Major Thomas Edward Dealtry Kidd. An accomplished equestrian, Aitken served as a director of the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead for over twenty years. In her later life she obtained a license as a helicopter pilot and bred Fjord horses on her farm in Ewhurst, Surrey. A prominent socialite of her time, she was known to entertain members of the international jet set, politicians, and royalty at her second home in Barbados, where she was a friend and neighbor of the American diplomat

W. Averell Harriman William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986), better known as Averell Harriman, was an American Democratic politician, businessman, and diplomat. The son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman, he served as Secretary of Commerce un ...

. In 1987, the year before she died, Aitken authored an autobiography titled ''The Beaverbrook Girl''.

Early life and family

Aitken was born on 9 July 1908 in Halifax, Nova Scotia to Max Aitken, the owner of the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'', and Gladys Henderson Drury. Her paternal grandparents were William Cuthbert Aitken, a Scottish-born Presbyterian minister, and Jane Noble, the daughter of a wealthy farmer and storekeeper. Her maternal grandfather was Major-General Charles William Drury CBE, who was a cousin of Admiral Sir Charles Carter Drury. The Drury family descended from Colonel Charles Drury of Ireland, who immigrated to Saint John, New Brunswick in 1805. She was also descended from the Hazen family of Massachusetts. Aitken's brother, Wing Commander Sir Max Aitken, 2nd Baronet, was a fighter pilot with No. 601 Squadron RAF during World War II. Cherkley Court - geograph

In 1910 the family moved from Canada to the United Kingdom, and her father bought

, a mansion in

. She grew up with her family entertaining

Sir 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 1 ...

, Rudyard Kipling, and David Lloyd George at their home. In July 1916, Aitken's father was created a baronet by George V. On 23 January 1917 her father was elevated to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

as 1st Baron Beaverbrook, at which time she was entitled to use the style '' The Honourable'', as the daughter of a

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

. After her mother died, her father married Marcia Anastasia Christoforides, the widow of his friend Sir James Dunn, but later divorced. He married a third time to his mistress, the ballet dancer Lili Ernst.

Marriages

Aitken met Ian Douglas Campbell, a member of Clan Campbell and heir to the 10th Duke of Argyll, at a casino in Le Touquet, France. They married in 1927 and had one daughter, Jeanne. She was Campbell's first wife. She and Campbell divorced in 1934. Through her daughter and son-in-law,

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

, she is the grandmother of American actresses Cusi Cram and

Kate Mailer Kate Mailer (born August 18, 1962) is an American stage and film actress and daughter of American author- playwright Norman Mailer and third wife, journalist Lady Jeanne Campbell, daughter of the 11th Duke of Argyll and his first wife, The H ...

. She married a second time, in 1935, to The Honourable William Drogo Sturges Montagu, the second son of George Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich and Alberta Montagu, Countess of Sandwich. Her husband, who was a flying instructor with the Royal Air Force, was killed in 1940 while fighting in World War II. In 1942 she married a third time, to Canadian Army officer Major Thomas Edward Dealtry Kidd MBE, the son of Honourary Major Rev. William Ennis Kidd MC. Her third husband, who was from a prominent Canadian family, was a nephew of Thomas Kidd and a relative of George Nelson Kidd and

Edward Kidd Edward Kidd (September 9, 1849 – September 16, 1912) was an Ontario farmer and political figure. He represented Carleton in the House of Commons of Canada from 1900 to 1905 and 1909 to 1912 as a Conservative member. He was born in Oxf ...

. She and Kidd moved to a farm in rural England, where they enjoyed fox hunting and were neighbors of Evelyn Waugh. They had a son, John Edward Aitken Kidd, who was the father of Jodie Kidd and Jemma Madeleine Wellesley, Countess of Mornington. Her third husband died in 1979.

Later life and death

She served as a trustee of the Beaverbrook Foundation from 1954 to 1964. In 1960, Aitken bought a second home in Barbados, where she was known to entertain members of the international jet set, politicians, and royalty. She was a close friend of the American diplomat

, who also had a home in Barbados. On 9 July 1968, she obtained her helicopter pilot's license. Aitken was an accomplished equestrian but twice broke her back falling off from horses. After her second back injury, she took up horse-drawn carriage racing and bred Fjord horses on her farm. She served as a director of the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead for over twenty years. In 1987, she published an autobiography titled ''The Beaverbrook Girl: An Autobiography''. She died on 18 November 1988 at her home in Ewhurst, Surrey, England. She is buried next to her third husband at St. Michael's Churchyard, Mickleham.

In popular culture

Aitken is portrayed by Sophie Ward in the 2021 historical drama series '' A Very British Scandal''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Janet Gladys 1908 births 1988 deaths Janet Canadian autobiographers Canadian emigrants to England Canadian female equestrians Canadian people of American descent Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian socialites Canadian women aviators Janet Daughters of barons Helicopter pilots Horse breeders Janet Janet People from Halifax, Nova Scotia Wives of younger sons of peers Women autobiographers