Simon Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading

Simon Rufus Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading (born 18 May 1942),[1] is a British peer, banker and philanthropist.

The Most Honourable The Marquess of Reading
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 2 July 1980 – 11 November 1999 Hereditary peerage
Preceded by	The 3rd Marquess of Reading
Succeeded by	seat abolished
Personal details
Born	(1942-05-18) 18 May 1942
Spouse(s)	Victoria Melinda Dewar
Parents	Michael Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading Margot Duke

Biography

Early life

Simon Rufus Isaacs was born on 18 May 1942.[2]

His father was Michael Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading (1916–1980), and his mother was Margot Irene (née Duke) (1919–2015).[3][4] His paternal grandfather was Gerald Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading (1889–1960). His paternal great-grandfather was Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading (1860–1935). He became the fourth Marquess of Reading after his father's death in 1980. His maternal great-grandparents were Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st Baron Melchett (1868–1930), and Violet Mond, Baroness Melchett (1867–1945). Violet Mond's grandfather Ludwig Mond (1839–1909) chemist and industrialist, who created the Mond process to extract and purify nickel.

Career

He served as a lieutenant in 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards from 1961 to 1964.[2]

He worked as a stockbroker from 1964 to 1974, and he was a member of the London Stock Exchange from 1970 to 1974.[2] From 1975 to 1980, he was Marketing Director of Brahmco International.[2] He worked for Ralph Lauren Cosmetics from 1979 to 1983.[2] He then worked for Abbey Lubbock and Abbey Sports and Events from 1984 to 1992.[2]

Philanthropy

Reading was Chairman of the Land's End John o' Groats Club from 1992 to 1996.[2] He served as Director of the Global Flying Hospitals from 1996 to 2000.[2] From 1990 to 2000, he was President of the Dean Close School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.[2] He has served on the Board of Directors of CURE International since 2004, and of the Mertens House in Saint Petersburg, Russia since 2008.[2] He served as a member of the Council of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem from 2002 to 2008.[2]

He is a patron of the Nelson Recovery Trust and, since 1998, of the Barnabas Fund.[2]

In 2003, he criticized the decision made by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, Alasdair Smith, to sell Swanborough Manor in Iford, East Sussex, which was donated by his great-grandmother, Stella, Marchioness of Reading (1894–1971), in the hope that it would serve as the main residence of the Vice-Chancellor until 2021.[5]

Personal life

Lord Reading married Melinda Dewar on 12 May 1979. They have three children and six grandchildren:

• Lady Sybilla Alice Rufus Isaacs (3 November 1980) she married Charles B. B. Hart on 9 July 2005. They have four children:
  • Isaac David Boy Hart (15 December 2006)
  • Beatrice Rose Hart (5 November 2009)
  • Florence India Hart (2 August 2011)
  • Celestia (October 2014)
• Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs (24 April 1983) she married Charles Finch on 8 June 2013. They have two daughters.
  • Georgia Liberty Andrena (24 February 2015)
  • Cienna Freya (26 May 2017)
• Julian Rufus Isaacs, Viscount Erleigh (26 May 1986)

Lord and Lady Reading resided at historic Jayne's Court in the heart of the village of Bisley, Gloucestershire for four generations before selling the manor. He is a member of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and has frequently appeared at The Lawn Tennis Championships, Wimbledon.

References

1. "Birthday's today". The Telegraph. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2014. the Marquess of Reading 69
2. DeBrett's
3. National Portrait Gallery
4. The Peerage
5. James Trollope, The manor of its going, The Daily Telegraph, 15 March 2003

External links

• Margot Irene, Marchioness of Reading

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Michael Isaacs	Marquess of Reading 1980–present	Incumbent Heir apparent: Julian Isaacs, Viscount Erleigh