Sir Edward James Reid, 2nd Baronet,

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

(20 April 1901 – 23 February 1972) was British merchant banker. Reid was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 20 April 1901, the son of

Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet Sir James Reid, 1st Baronet (23 October 1849 – 28 June 1923) was a British doctor who served as physician-in-ordinary to three British monarchs, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and King George V. A physician, a Scotsman from Aberdeenshire and ...

, physician at the royal court, by his wife Honourable Susan Baring, daughter of

Edward Charles Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke Edward Charles Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke (13 April 1828 – 17 July 1897), was a British banker. Early life A member of the Baring banking family, "Ned" Baring was born on 13 April 1828. He was the second son of Henry Baring from his second ma ...

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

stood as sponsor at his baptism in May 1901, and he was Page of Honour to

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

between 1911 and 1917. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...

, and succeeded his father as second baronet in 1923. Joining his mother's family firm of

Baring Brothers Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member ...

in 1922, he rose to become a director in 1926 and partner in 1928. During his career his German connections meant he played significant roles in a number of banking negotiations both pre- and post-

World War II 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 was Chairman of the Accepting Houses Committee (1946–1966), Chairman of the British Banking Committee for German Affairs (1948–1962), and President of the Institute of Bankers (1962–1964). He retired from Barings in 1966 as senior partner. He worked for the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

during World War II, and wrote a report in 1945 for MI5 regarding the German production of fake British bank notes. He was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

1947, promoted to Knight Commander in 1967. He died on 23 February 1972.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Edward James 1901 births 1972 deaths Businesspeople from London People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge English bankers Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English businesspeople