John Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount Camrose (12 July 1909 – 15 February 1995) was a British nobleman, politician, and newspaper proprietor.

Early life

Berry was born in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

on 12 July 1909, the eldest son of William Berry, later first Viscount Camrose and first Baronet Berry of Hackwood Park, and Mary Agnes Berry, ''née'' Corns. His younger brother was Michael Berry (1911–2001). He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, where he was tutored by Sir Roy Harrod.

Career

Berry began his career working for his family's provincial paper in Newcastle. He next worked for their papers in Manchester and Glasgow. In March 1938 he joined the 11th Anti-Aircraft Light Regiment. He later commanded an independent battery in

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

when the Allied forces invaded North Africa. He was Deputy Chairman of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' from 1939 to 1987 and Vice Chairman of

Amalgamated Press The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the ...

from 1942 to 1959. On 10 March 1941, he was elected Member of Parliament (

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

) for

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...

in the

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

held after Sir Arnold Wilson was killed on active service. He held his seat until 1945, when it was won by Philip Asterley Jones ( Labour). Coterminously, he served in the City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders). He saw active service in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, rose to the rank of

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) 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 of t ...

, and was awarded the Territorial Efficiency Decoration ( TD).

Succession

He succeeded to his father's viscountcy and

baronetcy 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 14th ...

on 15 June 1954, and took his seat in the House of Lords on 5 May 1955.

Personal life

At the age of seventy-six, and following a discreet friendship of more than thirty years, Lord Camrose married the Honourable Joan Yarde-Buller, daughter of Sir John Yarde-Buller, 3rd Baron Churston and Denise Orme who later married Edward FitzGerald, 7th Duke of Leinster. Lady Camrose had twice been previously married, first to Loel Guinness, and secondly to

Prince Aly Khan Prince Aly Salomone Khan (13 June 1911 – 12 May 1960), known as Aly Khan, was an Ismaili sayyid, socialite and ambassador for Pakistan. He was the son of the Aga Khan III, and the father of Aga Khan IV. A socialite, racehorse owner and jocke ...

, son and heir presumptive of

Aga Khan III Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah (2 November 187711 July 1957), known as Aga Khan III, was the 48th Imamate in Nizari doctrine, imam of the Nizari Isma'ili, Ism'aili branch of Shia Islam. He was one of the founders and the first permanent president of ...

. Prince Aly was disinherited and consequently Lady Camrose's son Karīm succeeded as

Aga Khan IV Prince Karim al-Husseini (13 December 1936 – 4 February 2025), known as the Aga Khan IV, was the 49th Imamah, imam of Imamate in Nizari doctrine, Nizari Isma'ilism from 1957 until his death in 2025. He inherited the Imamate in Nizari doctrine ...

. Lady Camrose was also known as Princess Joan and Princess Tajudaullah. Lord Camrose died aged 85 in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, without issue, on 15 February 1995. He was survived by his wife, while the viscountcy and the

were inherited by his brother,

Michael Berry, Baron Hartwell William Michael Berry, Baron Hartwell MBE (18 May 1911 – 3 April 2001), was a British newspaper proprietor and journalist. Early life and education Berry was the second son of the 1st Viscount Camrose and his wife, Mary Agnes Corns. He was ...

, who disclaimed the viscountcy for life.

Arms

References

;Notes ;Sources
ThePeerage.comHistoric painting bought for the nation, ''BBC News'', 21 January 2002
*''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage'' (107th edn, 3 vols, Wilmington: Burke's Peerage, 2003), i, 673

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Camrose, Seymour Berry, 2nd Viscount 1909 births 1995 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford British Army personnel of World War II British newspaper publishers (people) People educated at Eton College Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1935–1945 Camrose, V2 2 City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) officers Seymour Berry