Peter Cecil Wilson (8 March 1913 – 3 June 1984) was an English auctioneer and chairman of

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

. Wilson's father was

Sir Mathew Wilson, 4th Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Mathew Richard Henry Wilson, 4th Baronet, CSI, DSO (25 August 1875 – 17 May 1958) was a British landowner, soldier, and Unionist politician. Biography Mathew Wilson was the son of Sir Matthew Amcotts Wilson, 3rd Baron ...

of Eshton Hall,

Gargrave Gargrave is a large village and civil parish in the Craven district located along the A65, north-west of Skipton in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the very edge of the Yorkshire Dales. The River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool ...

, Yorkshire. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and at New College, Oxford. He married Helen Ballard in 1935 who he had met in Hamburg. They had two sons and she became a noted horticulturist after he became attracted to men. The marriage was dissolved in 1951 and they remained on good terms. He worked for

British Intelligence The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within three government departments, the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. These agencies are responsible for collecting and analysing foreign and d ...

during

World War II 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 opposing ...

, in London and Washington DC. He thought about taking this up as a career but decided to return to "Sotherbys" after the war. He appeared as a castaway on the

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

programme ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'' on 26 September 1966. He was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1970, and was made honorary life president of Sotheby's in 1980, when he stood down as chairman. Wilson owned Garden Lodge at Logan Place in London's Kensington district for several years. He died in Paris in 1984, after being in a coma for a week. He was 71. Wilson is mentioned in the Ian Fleming story " The Property of a Lady", commissioned by

for use in their annual journal, ''The Ivory Hammer'', and which was adapted as the auction sequence in the film ''

Octopussy ''Octopussy'' is a 1983 spy film and the thirteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth to star Roger Moore as the MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by John Glen and the screenplay was written by G ...

''.

References

WILSON, Peter Cecil
''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2016 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014) 1913 births Place of birth missing 1984 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Eton College Alumni of New College, Oxford British intelligence operatives English auctioneers Sotheby's people Younger sons of baronets 20th-century English businesspeople {{UK-business-bio-stub