Sir Robert Septimus Gardiner (26 March 1856 – 16 November 1939) was a British businessman. The seventh son of the Rev. George Gregory Gardiner and Frances Mary Touchet, he was born in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

, Prussia, where his father was a British chaplain. He attended

Grenoble University The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA, French: meaning "''Grenoble Alps University''") is a public research university in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 resea ...

and was fluent in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. A successful businessman who served on the boards of many companies; his chief interests were in mining and securities. He also was interested in the arts: he was the composer of the '' Lyric Polka'', he became director and chairman of the board of the

Alhambra Theatre The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...

. He was knighted in the

1922 Birthday Honours The 1922 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

. He was devoted to charitable work; according to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', "Every appeal brought to his notice was given his sympathetic consideration and support." he was vice president of the

Kent and Canterbury Hospital The Kent and Canterbury Hospital, colloquially known among residents as the K+C, is a community hospital in Canterbury, Kent, England. It is managed by the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. History After a suitable site on land ...

, a trustee of the Chelsea Hospital for Women, and honorary treasurer of the Governesses' Benevolent Institution. In 1896, he married Alice von Ziegesar, daughter of Baron von Ziegesar; she wrote a book of poems, ''A Garland of Roses'' as well as a novel which remained unpublished. He was the father of three children, Cyril,

Gerald Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iri ...

(later

Lord Chancellor The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The ...

), and Nevile, born in 1897, 1900 and 1902, respectively. He died aged 83 at Addington Palace Country Club,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. His funeral was held on 20 November at St James's Church, Sussex Gardens,

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

; Sidney Nowell Rostron officiated.

References

1856 births 1939 deaths Businesspeople from Bonn Grenoble Alpes University alumni British businesspeople Knights Bachelor Officers of the Legion of Honour {{UK-business-bio-1850s-stub