William Orpen Otto Beit in his study at Belgrave Square

Sir Otto John Beit, 1st Baronet, KCMG, FRS (7 December 1865 – 7 December 1930) was a German-born British financier, philanthropist and art connoisseur.

Life history and career

Beit was born in Hamburg, Germany, the younger brother of

Alfred Beit Alfred Beit (15 February 1853 – 16 July 1906) was a Anglo-German gold and diamond magnate in South Africa, and a major donor and profiteer of infrastructure development on the African continent. He also donated much money to university edu ...

, into the Jewish family of an affluent Hamburg trader. He went to England in 1888, where he joined the stockbroking firm of Wernher, Beit & Co., in which his brother

, was a partner. In 1890 he left for South Africa to gain experience in the diamond industry. He remained for six years and played an active role in the development of Rand Gold Mines and became a member of

Hermann Eckstein Hermann Ludwig Eckstein (3 August 1847 – 16 January 1893) was a German-born British people, British mining magnate and banker. Life history Born in Hohenheim near Stuttgart, Germany to a Lutheran minister, he received an excellent educati ...

's firm, H. Eckstein & Co. Despite playing a prominent part in the Witwatersrand gold industry, he returned to London, partly because he did not want to confine his interests solely to financial activities, but also to cultivate his scientific, artistic and cultural tastes. He became a naturalised British citizen in 1896. He fell under the spell of

Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...

's imperialist vision and was his house-guest at the time of the Jameson Raid. On his return to London, he followed for a few years the career of stockbroker and continued with his interest in the mining industry until the death of his brother Alfred, after which he retired and devoted himself for the remainder of his life to

philanthropy 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 ...

Directorates and memberships

Director, Rhodesia Railways Ltd; Member, Governing Body of

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, 1912–1930; Trustee of the Rhodes Trust, and Beit Railway Trust for Rhodesia; founded Beit Memorial Trust for Medical Research; established the Beit Fellowship at Imperial College in memory of his brother Alfred, 1913; founded the Beit Fellowships for Scientific Research at Imperial College. He was also a member of the Governing Body from 1912 and a founder member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Otto Beit01

He administered both the Rhodes Trust and the Beit Trust, through which he became involved in land settlement schemes in Southern Africa. He served as director of the

British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC or BSACo) was chartered in 1889 following the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes' Central Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd, which had originally competed to capitalize on the expecte ...

. He was appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(KCMG) in the

1920 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1920 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 1 January 1920 and 30 March 1920 (referred to as the 1920 civil ...

for his work in connection with South African troops and hospitals in England and was created a baronet on 25 February 1924 for his numerous donations to children's sanatoria, libraries and a homoeopathic research institute. He funded the construction of the Beit Quad, the Students' Union building and hostel at Imperial College, London. A plaque depicting him by

Omar Ramsden Omar Ramsden (1873–1939) was a Sheffield-born silversmith. He was one of England's leading designers and makers of silverware. He lived on Fir Street in Walkley, Sheffield, Yorkshire, but spent his entire career working in London. Early life ...

is situated in the Beit Quad entrance. He was a generous benefactor of the

Johannesburg Art Gallery The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery in Joubert Park in the city centre of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the largest gallery on the continent with a collection that is larger than that of the Iziko South African National Gallery i ...

, and more so with his gifts to the University of Cape Town, of which he turned the first sod in 1920. King Edward's Hospital Fund received £50,000 from Beit in 1928 for the purchase of radium. He was no less generous to public collections in the United Kingdom, helping the Victoria and Albert Museum to acquire many works of art. He also gave his name to an award for excellence in sculpture through the

Royal Society of British Sculptors The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

, the

Otto Beit Medal The Royal Society of Sculptors is a British charity established in 1905 which promotes excellence in the art and practice of sculpture. Its headquarters are a centre for contemporary sculpture on Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London. It ...

. He received an Honorary

LLD Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation#Plural forms, abbrev ...

from the University of Cape Town and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1924. On 27 May 1897, he married Lilian Carter, the daughter of Thomas Lane Carter of New Orleans, Louisiana, US. They had two sons and two daughters, the elder son Theodore killing himself in 1917 and the younger being Alfred Lane Beit.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beit, Otto British mining businesspeople German emigrants to England Randlords 19th-century German Jews English art collectors German art collectors 1865 births 1930 deaths British philanthropists German philanthropists British stockbrokers German stockbrokers Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Fellows of the Royal Society (Statute 12) Businesspeople from Hamburg German Sephardi Jews Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom British art collectors Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George

Life history and career

Directorates and memberships

References

Further reading

External links