Henry John Sinclair, 2nd Baron Pentland (6 June 1907 – 14 February 1984) was the President of th

from its formation in 1953 and the President of th
Gurdjieff Foundation of California
from its inception in 1955. He held both posts until his death. He also helped ensure the publication of English editions of Gurdjieff's and Ouspensky's books and worked to found Gurdjieff centers throughout North America. The transatlantic Baron Pentland was a businessman and member of the House of Lords who spent much of his career conducting government and commercial affairs with the United States. He was director and vice president of the American British Electric Corporation

Education and career

Pentland was educated at Wellington College. He inherited the title from his father, John Sinclair, 1st Baron Pentland, in 1925, aged only eighteen. He was admitted to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, and graduated with an MA in 1929. He was elected President of the Cambridge Union in 1929. He qualified as a civil engineer. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

and later appointed Assistant Secretary of the Combined Production and Resources Board, 1944–1945 at Washington, D.C. He was a director and vice president of the American British Electric Corporation. Known for his affiliation with the

Work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an ani ...

of G. I. Gurdjieff, he became president of the American Gurdjieff Foundation upon its establishment in 1953, retaining the position until his death in New York in 1984.

Family

Lord Pentland married Lucy Elisabeth Babington Smith, daughter of Sir

Henry Babington Smith Sir Henry Babington Smith (29 January 1863 – 29 September 1923) was a senior British civil servant, who served in a wide range of posts overseas, mostly financial, before becoming a director of the Bank of England. He was related to the B ...

on 11 September 1941; the couple had one daughter, Mary Sinclair (born 21 November 1942).

Books by Lord Pentland

''Exchanges Within; Questions from Everyday Life; Selected Meetings with John Pentland in California. 1955-1984''. Continuum: New York. 1997.

Coat of arms

References

External links

Eminent Gurdjieffians: Lord Pentland, by James Moore

1907 births 1984 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 2 People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Presidents of the Cambridge Union English expatriates in the United States {{UK-baron-stub Students of George Gurdjieff