Sir Peter George Osborne, 17th Baronet (born 29 June 1943) is a British businessman, who co-founded the interior design firm

Osborne & Little Osborne & Little is a British manufacturer and retailer of upmarket wallpaper and fabrics. It was established in 1968 and now has showrooms worldwide. It was among the brands included in the Victoria and Albert Museum's ''British Design 1948–20 ...

in 1968. He is the father of

George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born Gideon Oliver Osborne; 23 May 1971) is a former British politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the ...

, the Conservative politician and former

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

Early life

Peter Osborne was born on 29 June 1943. He is the elder son of Sir George Osborne, 16th Baronet, who as a soldier was decorated during 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 ...

, and Mary Horn. Osborne was educated at

Wellington College, Berkshire Wellington College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the village of Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,200 pupils, between the ages of 13 and ...

, and received an MA from

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. He succeeded to the baronetcy, becoming the 17th Osborne baronet of Ballentaylor and Ballylemon, on 21 July 1960, upon the death of his father.

Career

In 1968, Osborne and his brother-in-law Anthony Little co-founded Osborne & Little, a successful manufacturer and retailer of upmarket

wallpaper Wallpaper is a material used in interior decoration to decorate the interior walls of domestic and public buildings. It is usually sold in rolls and is applied onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Wallpapers can come plain as "lining paper" (so t ...

and fabrics, opening its initial showroom in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. It was revealed in 2016 that the firm had made £6 million in a 2004 property deal with a developer from the

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...

, a

tax haven A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

, and had not paid any corporation tax for seven years. Osborne's personal wealth, amassed through inheritance and his business career, has been the subject of controversy during his son's political career, especially after an interview with the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' in which he discussed his "expensive tastes", such as the purchase of a £19,000 Italian desk.

Personal life

Osborne married Felicity Loxton-Peacock on 16 October 1968. They have four children: * George Gideon Oliver Osborne CH (b. 23 May 1971), former Chancellor of the Exchequer (2010–2016) and heir apparent to the baronetcy * Benedict George Osborne (b. 25 July 1973) * Adam Peter Osborne (b. 25 March 1976) * Theo Grantley Osborne (b. 28 March 1985)

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Peter 1943 births 20th-century Anglo-Irish people People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Living people Osborne baronets

Early life

Career

Personal life

Arms

See also

References