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Jonathan Ruffer DL (born 17 August 1951) is a British City investor, art collector and philanthropist.


Early life

Jonathan Ruffer was born on 17 August 1951 in London, England, to Major John Edward Maurice Ruffer (1912-2010) and Dorothy ("Dodo") Margaret Willan (1919-1998). Ruffer lived from an early age in
Stokesley Stokesley is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, formerly a part of the historic North Riding of Yorkshire. It lies on the River Leven. An electoral ward, of the same name, stretches north to ...
, North Yorkshire, England.Jonathan Garnier Ruffer
, ''
Debrett's Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company, publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John Deb ...
''Ruffer LLP pays member of firm £18m
''Yorkshire Post'', 28 December 2014Millionaire Jonathan Ruffer pledges to tackle deprivation
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, 25 January 2012 He was educated at
Aysgarth School , established = 1877 , type = Preparatory independent day and boarding school , trust = , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = , head = Rob Morse , r_head_label ...
and
Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...
, a
public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
in
Marlborough, Wiltshire Marlborough ( , ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English Counties of England, county of Wiltshire on the A4 road (England), Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath, Somerset, Bath. Th ...
. He graduated from
Sidney Sussex College Sidney Sussex College (referred to informally as "Sidney") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1596 under the terms of the will of Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex (1531–1589), wife ...
, a constituent college of the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, in 1972.


Career

Ruffer started as a stockbroker, before becoming a barrister. He is now a Bencher of the Middle Temple. He worked in corporate finance for
Schroders Schroders plc is a British multinational asset management company, founded in 1804. The company employs over 5,000 people worldwide in 32 locations around Europe, America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Headquartered in the City of London, it ...
, an accepting house bank.Jonathan Ruffer
''
Bloomberg Business ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' He worked for Dunbar, a private bank,Philip Beresford
Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2014: No. 10 – Jonathan Ruffer, Ruffer Management: The investment entrepreneur is worth £380m.
, ''Management Today'', 26 October 2014 from 1980 to 1985. He was also on the board of directors of one of its subsidiaries, Dunbar Fund Management, from 1981 to 1985. He was then on the board of CFS (renamed Rathbone plc) from 1985 to 1994. He was on the board of Odey Asset Management, founded by
Crispin Odey Robin Crispin William Odey (born January 1959)O'Hannelly, Padraig"Investment Greats: Crispin Odey" Motley Fool, 2 October 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2012. is a London-based hedge fund manager and the founding partner of Odey Asset Management. In A ...
, from 1992 to 2005; Fuel Tech from 1994 to 1998; and Electric & General Investment Trust from 2001 to 2011. In 1994, he co-founded Ruffer Investment Management Limited, an investment management firm with Robert Shirley, 14th
Earl Ferrers Earl Ferrers is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers, Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Shirley family descends from George Shirley (died 1622) of Astwell Castle ...
(then Viscount Tamworth) and Jane Tufnell. The firm was renamed Ruffer LLP in 2004 and is now based at 80 Victoria Street in London. Ruffer was its chief executive officer from 1994 to 2012 and has been its chairman since 2011. The firm managed £15.4 billion on behalf of its clients in 2012–2013. In 2014, it had 199 employees, and additional offices in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
and Hong Kong.Katie Holliday
Jonathan Ruffer steps back from Ruffer Investments
''Investment Week'', 11 April 2012 He is a research fellow at
St John's College, Durham St John's College is a University of Durham#Colleges, college of the University of Durham, United Kingdom. It is one of only two "recognised colleges" of the university, the other being St Chad's College, St Chad's. This means that it is financial ...
. He has published articles in ''
The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...
''.


Philanthropy

Ruffer credits
William Rathbone VI William Rathbone VI (11 February 1819 – 6 March 1902) was an English merchant and businessman noted for his philanthropic and public work. He was an English Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1868 and 1895. ...
as a source of inspiration for his philanthropy.A N Wilson
Man on a mission: Jonathan Ruffer and the Auckland Castle Trust
''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'', 7 November 2014 He believes nobody needs more than £20 million. However, he is critical of William Temple's Christian socialism. He served as the chairman of the Good Shepherd Mission in
Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...
from 1998 to 2008. He has also supported the Church Urban Fund. He expressed an interest in reviving County Durham through philanthropy in 2012. That same year, he donated £1 million to the Durham Foundation.Jonathan Ruffer donates £1m donation to Durham foundation
''The Journal'', 7 September 2012 A year later, in 2013, he donated £15 million to preserve Auckland Castle, the historical palace of the
Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...
, through the Auckland Castle Trust,Charles Moore
The great Auckland Castle rescue
''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'', 18 May 2013 of which he is the chair.Heritage Exchange 2014: Jonathan Ruffer
 This included the preservation of 12 paintings by
Francisco de Zurbarán Francisco de Zurbarán ( , ; baptized 7 November 1598 – 27 August 1664) was a Spanish Painting, painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes. Zurbarán gained the nicknam ...
, present in the palace since 1756. In 2013, he donated £18 million to restore the Bishop's Palace and create a museum on the history of Christianity and faith in Britain, which had been expected to open in 2018. The restoration project was completed in 2019 and the Castle was scheduled to re-open to visitors in November; three new restaurants for visitors were added, with one in operation by early November 2019. Nonetheless, the Scotland Wing still houses the offices of the Bishop of Durham. In 2019, he worked with Sotheby's James Macdonald (an expert on the Spanish school) to assemble a collection displayed at the Spanish Gallery. In 2014, Ruffer donated the endowment to create Kynren, a night show telling the history of England, in nearby
Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surro ...
to aid in wider regeneration. He has endowed the Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants at
The Art Fund Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charitable organization, charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for man ...
, which give £75,000 to curators every year.


Art collection

Ruffer collects Spanish old masters, which can be viewed in the Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland which opened in 2021. The Gallery contains works by El Greco, Murillo, and Juan Bautista Maíno, among others. He also owns paintings by
Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...
.


Personal life

Ruffer is married to Jane Sequeira, a doctor, and palliative care specialist. They have a daughter. While he is a great-grandson of Maurice Ruffer (1857-1935), a French-born British banker, she is a descendant of Isaac Henrique Sequeira (1738-1816), a Portuguese Jewish doctor, who was painted by
Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...
, one of his patients, and that oil painting now hangs in Madrid's
Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...
. An Anglican, he has been described by the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'' as "a committed evangelical Christian" and ''
The Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...
'' as "a devout Christian." He is a member of the Athenaeum Club and the Beefsteak Club. As of 2014, he had an estimated wealth of £380 million. As of 2020, Ruffer was worth £159 million according to the ''
Sunday Times Rich List The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday news ...
''. Ruffer gave an estimated £160 million to the development of Bishop Auckland Town in 2020. In total he has given one third of his wealth to the development of the Town. Ruffer purchased Auckland Castle to save the collection of paintings by Zuburan, that were going to be sold. Ruffer has since opened: the Mining Art Gallery (to showcase local miners' work), the Northern Museum of Archaeological Importance, the Spanish Gallery, the Auckland Tower, the Auckland Project, the Auckland Castle, Kynren, the Deer Park, Eleven Arches, and most recently Weardale Railway which will provide a direct link from Killhope Lead Mining Museum to Bishop Auckland.


Bibliography

*''The Big Shots'' (1977). *''Babel, the Breaking of the Banks'' (2009)


References


External links


Auckland Castle

Kynren at Eleven Arches

Ruffer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffer, Jonathan Living people 1951 births People from Hambleton District Art collectors from London People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Deputy Lieutenants of Durham British hedge fund managers English financial businesspeople British corporate directors British writers English philanthropists Academics of Durham University Schroders people People educated at Aysgarth School