Simon Marks, 1st Baron Marks of Broughton (9 July 1888 – 8 December 1964), was an English retail businessman and baron, the son of

Michael Marks Michael Marks ( yi, מיכאל מארקס Polish: ''Michał Marks''; 1859? – 31 December 1907) was a businessman and entrepreneur, who with Thomas Spencer co-founded the British retail chain Marks & Spencer. Biography Marks was born into a ...

, the co-founder of major British multinational company

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

Biography

Early life

Marks was born in the

Leylands, Leeds The Leylands was an area of Leeds, north of the city centre and west of Mabgate. John Cossins' 1726 ''Plan of Leedes'' shows two fields marked ''Ley Lands'' north of Lady Lane and west of the Sheepscar Beck (also later known as Lady Beck) whi ...

, on 9 July 1888, son of

and Hannah Cohen,''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' and educated at Manchester Grammar School.

Career

In 1907, he inherited a number of "penny bazaars" from his father, which had been established with Thomas Spencer. With the help of Israel Sieff, he built

into an icon of British business. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

on 4 July 1944 and on 10 July 1961 was raised to the peerage as Baron Marks of Broughton, ''of Sunningdale in the

Royal County of Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

''.

Death and legacy

Marks died 8 December 1964, in London, and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. His ashes and memorial are housed within the internal columbarium (visible by arrangement). The ashes of his wife Miriam Marks (née Sieff, sister of Israel Sieff), and those of his business partner Israel Sieff, rest with his. He was succeeded in the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

by his only son, Michael Marks, 2nd Baron Marks of Broughton, who died in 1998 and was succeeded in the title by his own son, Simon Marks, 3rd Baron Marks of Broughton.

Coat of arms

References

1888 births 1964 deaths English Jews Businesspeople from Leeds British businesspeople in retailing Marks-Sacher family Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II Jewish British politicians 20th-century English businesspeople {{UK-baron-stub