Max Rayne, Baron Rayne (8 February 1918 – 10 October 2003) was a British
property developer
Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...
and
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
who supported medical, religious, education and arts charities in England.
Early life
Rayne came from a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family. His father, Phillip, was a garment manufacturer living in the
East End of London
The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
. It was a modest but cultured home – his grandfather had been a
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
scholar and teacher and his father had a lively interest in music, opera and conversation. Max was educated at the nearby religious, but non-denominational,
Central Foundation Boys' School
''(By hope, by work, by faith)''
, established = 1865
, closed =
, type = Voluntary aided school
, religious_affiliation =
, president =
, head_label =
, ...
,
Bow. Max studied psychology and accountancy and took a night school course in law at
University College, London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
(which later gave him an honorary doctorate). After service with the
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
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 opposin ...
Rayne rejoined the family clothing firm. Using sub-leases on its premises as his source of finance, he directed his attention to land and property development in bomb-damaged
central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...
.
Family
In 1941, Rayne married Margaret Marco and they had three children:
* Madeleine Barbara (b. 1943)
* Susan Ann (b. 1945)
* Robert Anthony (b. 1949)
Rayne and his wife divorced in 1960 and on 2 June 1965, he married
Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart (a daughter of the
8th Marquess of Londonderry and sister of
Lady Annabel Goldsmith
Lady Annabel Goldsmith (' Vane-Tempest-Stewart, formerly Birley; born 11 June 1934) is an English socialite and the eponym for a London nightclub of the late 20th century, Annabel's. She was first married for two decades to entrepreneur Mark Bi ...
) and they had four children:
* Natasha Deborah (b. 1966)
* Nicholas Alexander (b. 1969)
* Tamara Annabel (b. 1970)
* Alexander Philip (b. 1973)
Rayne Foundation
As Rayne had judged, the opportunities offered in the post-war period of booming reconstruction led to substantial business success and when, in 1962, he set up the Rayne Foundation and endowed it with a substantial shareholding in his companies, he created a well funded and influential charitable institution.
Although acting through the foundation, Rayne took a close personal interest in the causes it supported. He was soon on the governing bodies of most of the London
teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...
s, where his business skills were highly valued, and prominent Jewish charities. In 1964
Darwin College,
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, was founded with support from the Rayne Foundation and a personal donation from Rayne himself, and this is acknowledged by the college in two notable ways: Firstly, on the college's coat of arms, which
impales Rayne's coat of arms alongside that of the Darwin family. Secondly, the central building to the college is named the Rayne Building. Today, however, he is mostly remembered for his support for the arts: music, ballet, painting and the theatre. He was chairman of the board of the
National Theatre from 1971 until 1988 and so oversaw its move from the
Old Vic
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
* Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...
to the present building in 1976.
Rayne was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
in 1969 and made a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
as Baron Rayne, of Prince's Meadow in the County of
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
, on 2 August 1976. He was also created a Chevalier of the
Légion 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 ...
in 1973, later promoted to Officier.
In 2007, using money from the Rayne Foundation, the
Hand in Hand School, a bilingual school located in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
was founded to teach
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
and
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
alongside each other.
Coat of arms
References
Sources
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External links
The Rayne Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rayne, Max
1918 births
2003 deaths
People educated at Central Foundation Boys' School
Alumni of University College London
British real estate businesspeople
English Jews
English philanthropists
Knights Bachelor
Labour Party (UK) life peers
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Darwin College, Cambridge
20th-century British philanthropists
Life peers created by Elizabeth II