Sir Rudolph Edgar Francis de Trafford, 5th Baronet, OBE (31 August 1894 – 16 August 1983) was a British aristocrat and banker who succeeded his brother to the de Trafford baronetage at the age of 77. Rudolph was the second son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet and Violet Alice Maud Franklin. He attended Downside (Sep 1907 to Jul 1911), 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. ...

, where he was friends with Marshall Field III. After graduating with a BA in 1915, he fought in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, being twice mentioned in despatches. In 1919, Rudolph joined Marshall Field in California for a vacation with Field's wife and children on Catalina Island.

Career

By 1931, Rudolph was working in London for the Boston investment bank Lee, Higginson & Co., which had also employed Marshall Field III. Although the bank collapsed in the Swedish match scandal in 1932, Rudolph continued to work for reformed company. In his capacity as the senior director in Europe of Higginson and Co, he negotiated at least two unsuccessful attempts at merger with the British investment house

Kleinwort Benson Kleinwort Benson was a leading investment bank that offered a wide range of financial services from offices throughout the United Kingdom and Channel Islands. Two families, the Kleinworts and the Bensons, founded two different merchant banks in ...

in 1936 and 1938.

Family

Rudolph married June Isabel Chaplin, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Chaplin (son of

John Worthy Chaplin Colonel John Worthy Chaplin, (23 July 1840 – 18 August 1920) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth f ...

VC), at St James's, Spanish Place on 6 February 1924. The reception was held at

Seaford House Seaford House, originally called Sefton House, is a former aristocratic mansion and the largest of the detached houses sited on each corner of Belgrave Square, London, England. It is a magnolia stucco building with four main storeys most fame ...

, which was lent to the couple by Lord and Lady Howard de Walden and they honeymooned in Egypt. Their only son, Dermot, was born on 19 January 1925. In 1936, he and June had leased the

Loder Loder is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Loder (1826–1900), Australian politician * Anne Marie Loder (born 1969), Canadian actress * Benjamin Loder (1801–1876), American businessman and railroad executive * Berna ...

Dower House, at

Cowfold Cowfold is a village and civil parish between Billingshurst and Haywards Heath in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village is at the intersection of the A272 and A281 roads. The parish has a land area of 1926 hectare (475 ...

, Sussex. Then in April 1938, after 14 years of marriage, June de Trafford petitioned for divorce on the grounds of Rudolph's adultery in a London Hotel in November 1937. The case was uncontested, and the courts granted June a ''

decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the condi ...

'' along with custody of their son. In 1952, June remarried to Thomas Touchet-Jesson and became Lady Audley. They divorced in 1957, and June died in 1977. Rudolph also remarried on 2 February 1939 to Katherine 'Kay' Lo Savio Balke the daughter of W.W. Balke of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

. He continued to work as a City of London banker, later being appointed director of the Royal Exchange. In 1971, when his elder brother

Sir Humphrey de Trafford Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet (1 May 1808 – 4 May 1886) was a prominent English Catholic. Born at Croston Hall near Chorley, Lancashire on 1 May 1808, he was the fourth child and the eldest son of Sir Thomas de Trafford. Early lif ...

died with no male heirs, Rudolph succeeded him to the de Trafford baronetcy. Rudolph de Trafford died on 16 August 1983, two weeks before his 89th birthday, at his home in Eaton Square, London. His requiem mass was celebrated at

St Mary's, Cadogan Street St Mary's, Cadogan Street is a Grade II* listed Roman Catholic church in Cadogan Street, Chelsea, London. It was built between 1877 and 1879 by John Francis Bentley, most notable for his work as architect of Westminster Cathedral, and is one ...

. Kay de Trafford died on 15 September 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trafford, Rudolph de 1894 births 1983 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army personnel of World War I English Roman Catholics Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Stubbington House School People educated at Downside School Rudolph People from Cowfold