Roger Carol Michael Nathan, 2nd Baron Nathan (5 December 1922 – 19 July 2007) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

solicitor and hereditary peer.

Family

Nathan was the son of

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

and

Eleanor Nathan Eleanor Joan Nathan, Lady Nathan (1892–1972) was a British politician and member of the London County Council (LCC) from 1928 to 1934 for the Liberal Party and from 1937 to 1948 for the Labour Party, serving the last year as the council's chair ...

. His father was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician who joined the Labour Party in 1934, who was created Baron Nathan in 1940 after he stood down as MP for Wandsworth Central to allow

Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader, and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union in the years 1922–194 ...

to take the seat.

Early life

Nathan was educated at Stowe School and at New College, Oxford. He was called up in the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. After training at Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the

17th/21st Lancers The 17th/21st Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in England by the amalgamation of the 17th Lancers and the 21st Lancers in 1922 and, after service in the Second World War, it amalgamated with the 16th/5th The Quee ...

in 1942 and saw active service in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, and

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. He was

mention in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

, and

demobilised Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milita ...

with the rank of captain in 1946.

Law career

He returned to New College, Oxford, and read law. From 1948, he took his

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with his father, then on leave as Minister of Civil Aviation, and joined his father's firm, Herbert Oppenheimer Nathan and Vandyk. He became a partner when he qualified in 1950, on the same day as his marriage. He worked on the flotations of

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...

and

Plessey The Plessey Company plc was a British electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after World War II by acquisition of companies and formed overseas compani ...

on the

London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St P ...

. He succeeded his father as the 2nd Baron Nathan in 1963 and sat on the

crossbenches A crossbencher is an independent or minor party member of some legislatures, such as the British House of Lords and the Parliament of Australia. They take their name from the crossbenches, between and perpendicular to the government and oppositi ...

. He became senior partner of Herbert Oppenheimer in 1978. The firm collapsed in 1988, and he joined many of its former partners at Denton Hall Burgin and Warren, where he was a consultant until 1992.

Notable activities

He was involved in environmental issues, and various charities. He was a member of the Cavalry Club, and served as Master of the Gardeners' Company. He was chairman and then a vice-president of the Royal Society of Arts from 1975 to 1977. He was president of the Jewish Welfare Board from 1967 to 1971, and chairman and later honorary president of the Central British Fund for Jewish Relief and Rehabilitation. He became an honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

in 1988. He was president of the Society of Sussex Downsmen in 1987, and later chairman of the South Downs Conservation Board.

Personal life

He lived at Collyers Farm at Lickfold in Sussex. He enjoyed playing the piano and the violin. He also enjoyed horse riding, hunting with the Eridge Hunt and Cowdray Hunt. His memoirs, ''The Spice of Life'', were published in 2003 by the Memoir Club. He married Philippa Solomon in 1950, daughter of Major J. B. Solomon, MC. They had two daughters and a son. He was succeeded in the barony by his son, Rupert.

Arms

References

Obituary, ''The Telegraph'', 17 August 2007Obituary, ''The Times'', 24 August 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nathan, Roger 2nd Baron Nathan 1922 births 2007 deaths Alumni of New College, Oxford Nathan, Baron British Jews 17th/21st Lancers officers British Army personnel of World War II Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst People educated at Stowe School Jewish British politicians English solicitors Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society 20th-century English lawyers

Nathan Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible * Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David an ...