Alfred de Rothschild - Biography

Alfred Charles de Rothschild (20 July 1842 - 31 January 1918) was the second son of Lionel de Rothschild and Baroness Charlotte von Rothschild of the prominent Rothschild family.

As a young man, Alfred attended King's College London, and subsequently Trinity College, Cambridge, England, where he would study Mathematics for two terms. It was at Trinity College that Alfred formed a lasting friendship with the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. Alfred left Cambridge University without a degree.

At the age of 21 Alfred took up employment at the N M Rothschild Bank at New Court in London. It was there that he learnt the business of banking from his father and made valuable contacts in European banking circles.

In 1869, at the age of 26, Alfred became a director of the Bank of England, a post he held for 20 years, until 1889. In 1892 he was one of those who represented the British Government at the International Monetary Conference in Brussels.

His career at the Bank of England was described in The Rothschilds: A Family of Fortune, by Virginia Cowles (London: Futura Publications 1975) page 159:

Alfred was not only a partner at New Court but a Director of the Bank of England, an appointment he had been given in 1868 because the Governor felt it would not be a bad thing to keep in close touch with the Rothschilds. The relationship came to an abrupt end of 1889, however, over a slightly unorthodox situation. Alfred had paid a very high price for a French eighteenth-century painting after being assured by the dealer that he, too, had been forced to pay an excessive sum for it and was making only a marginal profit. A day or two later Alfred discovered that the dealer had an account with the Bank of England. He could not resist taking a peep to see what, in fact, the man had given for the painting. He was outraged when he discovered that he had been charged a price 'out of all proportion to decency!' He spread the story about London and, not surprisingly, got the sack from Threadneedle Street.

He was the first Jew to be a Director of the Bank of England, and, after his departure, no other Jew was on the directorate for more than fifty years.

Upon the death of his father in 1879, Alfred inherited a estate centered on Halton in Buckinghamshire. As Alfred lacked a country retreat and the Halton estate did not provide one, Alfred set about building a house in the style of a French chateau. Work started around 1880 and Halton House was finished in July 1883. Alfred remained in residence at Seamore Place in London and only ever used Halton House for social purposes.

Although Alfred never married, it is commonly acknowledged that he fathered an illegitimate daughter, Almina Wombwell, 5th Countess of Carnarvon, by Marie Wombwell. After his death, she inherited generously. In later life Alfred did not enjoy good health and he died after a short illness on 31 January 1918. He was interred in the Willesden Jewish Cemetery in the North London suburb of Willesden.

He was awarded the Legion of Honor by the government of France.

A patron of the arts, he also donated money to the National Art Gallery for acquisitions.

See also

• History of the Jews in England
• Halton House
• Rothschild banking family of England

• Butlers and boardrooms: Alfred de Rothschild as collector and connoisseur