Philip William Bryce Lever, 3rd Viscount Leverhulme (1 July 1915 – 4 July 2000) was a British peer and racehorse owner.

Early life

He was the only son of

William Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme William Hulme Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme, DL (25 March 1888 – 27 May 1949), was the son of William Hesketh Lever and Elizabeth Ellen, daughter of Crompton Hulme of Bolton. He was educated at Eton College and graduated from Cambridge Un ...

and his first wife, Marion Beatrice Smith. He was born on 1 July 1915. 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, C ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

Career

During 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 ...

, he served in the Middle East with the

Cheshire Yeomanry The Cheshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment that can trace its history back to 1797 when Sir John Leicester of Tabley raised a county regiment of light cavalry in response to the growing fears of invasion from Napoleonic France. Its lineag ...

, and late became an honorary colonel. After the war, he managed his father's estates at

Thornton Manor Thornton Manor is a large manor house in the village of Thornton Hough, Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* Listed building#England and Wales, l ...

. In 1954, he bought the Badanloch estate, in Sutherland, Scotland. In 1949, he inherited his father's titles and was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of the County Palatine of Chester. Since 1689, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Cheshire. Lord Lieutenants of Cheshire Vice Lieutenants * Honourable Alan de Tat ...

that year, a post he held until 1990, making him the longest serving Lord Lieutenant in the country. His lifelong passion was

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

, the subject of his 1976

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. A racehorse owner, he served as Chairman of Chester Racecourse and as a senior steward of the Jockey Club. He was a supporter of the Animal Health Trust, a veterinary research establishment. He was

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

from 1980 to 1993 and appointed a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

in 1988.

Marriage and issue

On 1 July 1937, he married Margaret Ann Moon (died 1973), and they had three daughters: *The Hon. Susan Elizabeth Moon Lever (born 1938), married (Hercules) Michael Pakenham. *The Hon. Victoria Marion Ann Lever (1945-2021), married (1)

Sir Richard Pole, 13th Baronet Sir John Richard Walter Reginald Carew Pole, 13th Baronet, OBE, DL (born 2 December 1938) is the present holder of the Pole baronetcy, granted to his ancestor by King Charles I in 1628. He lives at Antony House in Cornwall. He succeeded his f ...

, (2) Gordon Apsion, (3) Peter Tower. *The Hon. (Margaret) Jane Lever (born 1947), married Sir Algernon Heber-Percy.

Succession

He died on 4 July 2000. As Leverhulme was the last male descendant of the 1st Viscount and died without male heirs in 2000, his titles became extinct.

Honours and decorations

UK Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leverhulme, Philip Lever, 3rd Viscount 1915 births 2000 deaths Knights of the Garter Lord-Lieutenants of Cheshire People associated with the University of Liverpool People educated at Eton College Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Lever family