Sir Howard George Frank, 1st Baronet, (10 November 1871 – 10 January 1932) was an English

estate agent An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting, or management of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents are mainly engaged ...

and public servant. He was a co-founder of

Knight Frank Knight Frank LLP is an estate agency, residential and commercial property consultancy founded in London by John Knight, Howard Frank and William Rutley in 1896. Knight Frank together with its American affiliate Cresa is one of the world's large ...

. Frank was born in Blackhurst,

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, the son of Frederick Frank. He was educated at Marlborough College and then entered the estate agency profession, in which he remained all his life, eventually becoming recognised as the "head" of the profession in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. He was head of the firms of Knight, Frank & Rutley of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

and Walton & Lee of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

and was president of the Estate Agents' Institute from 1910 to 1912. In 1916, he was appointed honorary adviser to the

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

on land valuation. The following year he became Director-General of Lands to 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 ...

and

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

as well as the Ministry of Munitions, holding the post until 1922. After 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 ...

he also served as deputy chairman and then chairman of the Disposals Board (later

Disposal and Liquidation Commission The Disposal and Liquidation Commission was a body set up in 1921 by the British government to sell off surplus war supplies and equipment, particularly those appertaining to the Ministry of Munitions following the First World War World War ...

), which was charged with disposing of surplus war

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specif ...

. He served on a number of public committees and Royal Commissions in the 1920s and 1930s. Frank was a member of the committee that built and opened London's first public golf courses in Richmond Park, which were opened in 1923 and 1925. Frank was knighted in 1914, appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

(KCB) in the

1918 Birthday Honours The 1918 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, 3 June a ...

, and created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

in the

1920 Birthday Honours The 1920 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were p ...

for his wartime services. He was appointed

Knight Grand Cross 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 o ...

(GBE) in the

1924 Birthday Honours The 1924 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were p ...

. He died suddenly of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

after dinner at his home in

Cheyne Walk Cheyne Walk is an historic road in Chelsea, London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs parallel with the River Thames. Before the construction of Chelsea Embankment reduced the width of the Thames here, it fronted ...

, London. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eight-year-old son Howard.

Personal life

Frank was married twice. By his first marriage he had a daughter, Mary. Original publisher: Methuen, London. In January 1922, at the age of 50, he married his 19-year-old former secretary Nancy Muriel (Nan) Brooks, who was five years younger than his daughter. The couple had two children: Howard Frederick (born 5 April 1923) and Robert John (born 16 March 1925). Lieutenant Sir Howard Frank was killed in action while serving as a tank commander with the

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

on 10 September 1944, at the age of 21. He was succeeded to the title by his younger brother, Robert (born 16 March 1925). Throughout the 1920s, Frank owned several yachts in which the couple regularly sailed off the coast of southern England. It was through sailing that the couple was introduced at Cowes to Squadron Leader (later Air Marshal Sir) Arthur Coningham, who would sail with them as a member of the crew. Beginning sometime in 1930, Nan and Coningham began an affair. In July 1931, Coningham was advised that he would be posted overseas in February 1932. In response to this potential separation they delayed making a decision on what to do due to their regard for her husband and the fear of a scandal. Their dilemma was solved by Frank's sudden unexpected death. Later that year, the lovers married on 11 July 1932 in the station church at Aboukir, Alexandria.''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Howard 1871 births 1932 deaths People from Royal Tunbridge Wells People educated at Marlborough College British estate agents (people) Civil servants in the Ministry of Munitions Civil servants in the War Office Civil servants in the Air Ministry Knights Bachelor Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom