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
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 ...
and Hannah Cohen,
[''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''] and educated at
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) in Manchester, England, is the largest independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1515 as a Grammar school#free tuition, free grammar school next to Manchester C ...
.
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
Israel Moses Sieff, Baron Sieff (4 May 1889 – 14 February 1972) was an English businessman and Zionist who was chairman of the British retailer Marks & Spencer from 1964 to 1967.
Early life and education
He was born in Manchester, the son of ...
, he built
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 ...
into an icon of British business.
He was
knighted on 4 July 1944 and on 10 July 1961 was raised to the peerage as Baron Marks of Broughton, ''of
Sunningdale
Sunningdale is a large village with a retail area and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England. It has a railway station on the (London) Waterloo to Reading ...
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 Ber ...
''.
[
]
Death and legacy
Marks died 8 December 1964, in London,[ and was cremated at ]Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...
. 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
Israel Moses Sieff, Baron Sieff (4 May 1889 – 14 February 1972) was an English businessman and Zionist who was chairman of the British retailer Marks & Spencer from 1964 to 1967.
Early life and education
He was born in Manchester, the son of ...
, rest with his.
He was succeeded in the barony 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
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