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Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe facts for kids

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The Right Honourable
The Earl Howe
CBE RD PC
Earl Howe AVUS 1934 crop.jpg
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
11 January 1929 – 26 July 1964
Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by The 4th Earl Howe
Succeeded by The 6th Earl Howe
Member of Parliament
for Battersea South
In office
14 December 1918 – 10 January 1929
Preceded by constituency created
Succeeded by William Bennett
Personal details
Born 1 May 1884 (1884-05)
Mayfair, London, England
Died 26 July 1964 (1964-07-27) (aged 80)
Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England
Political party Conservative
Spouses
Mary Curzon
​
​
(m. 1907; div. 1937)​
Joyce Mary Mclean Jack
​
​
(m. 1937; div. 1943)​
Sybil Boyter Johnson
​
(m. 1944)​
Children by Mary Curzon:
Edward Curzon, 6th Earl Howe
Lady Georgiana Curzon
by Sybil Boyter Johnson:
Lady Sarah Curzon
Parents Richard Curzon, 4th Earl Howe
Lady Georgiana Spencer-Churchill
Champ Car career
1 race run over 1 year
First race 1936 Vanderbilt Cup (Westbury)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 0 0
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years 1929–1932, 1934–1935
Teams Bentley, privateer
Best finish 1st (1931)
Class wins 2 (1930, 1931)

Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon, 5th Earl Howe (born May 1, 1884 – died July 26, 1964) was an amazing British person who did many things. He was a naval officer, a Member of Parliament (which means he helped make laws for the country), and a famous racing driver.

From 1900 to 1929, people called him Viscount Curzon. In 1918, he was elected to Parliament for the Battersea South area, representing the Conservative Party. He kept this job until 1929. While he was a politician, he also started getting into motor racing. He even won the famous 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans race!

In 1929, he became the 5th Earl Howe after his father passed away. This meant he joined the Peerage, a group of important people in Britain. He also helped start the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1928 and was its president until he died.

Early Life and Military Service

Francis Curzon, also known as Viscount Curzon, joined the Royal Naval Reserve after school. This was a family tradition, as many of his relatives had served in the Royal Navy. In 1907, he became a Commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR).

When World War I began, the RNVR became a group that fought on land, like soldiers. Commander Curzon led a group called the Howe Battalion. They fought in important battles like Gallipoli. During this time, he also worked for King George V.

During the war, he was very interested in film. He helped set up a film service for the Navy. He even filmed the surrender of the German fleet at Scapa Flow!

After the war, Viscount Curzon entered politics. He won the Battersea South seat in 1918 as a Conservative. When the RNVR was restarted in 1921, he went back to being a Captain. He held this role until World War II started in 1939.

In 1929, his father died, and Francis became Earl Howe. This meant he could no longer be a Member of Parliament. But by then, he was already deeply involved in motor racing. He helped create the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) in 1928. When he became Earl Howe, he was chosen as the BRDC's president.

A Career in Motor Racing

Francis Curzon started racing cars when he was 44 years old, which was quite old for a beginner! His first race was in 1928. After leaving Parliament, he spent even more time racing. In the 1930s, he became a very famous driver. He competed in many races around the world, especially the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

He raced in the Le Mans endurance race six times between 1929 and 1935. In his first year, he raced for the Bentley factory team. Later, he raced his own cars because Bentley stopped racing. In 1930, he won the 2-litre class at Le Mans with his Alfa Romeo 6C. The next year, in 1931, he won the entire race with his partner Henry Birkin in an Alfa Romeo 8C!

Birkin and Howe at the 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans
Earl Howe (right) and 'Tim' Birkin after their victory in the 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans race

Earl Howe raced many different cars. He was known for having one of "Europe's most elaborate" collections of racing cars. Even though he loved British cars, he often had to buy cars from other countries, like Bugatti, because British racing cars weren't as competitive back then. He won the Donington Park Trophy in 1933 and the Grosvenor Grand Prix in South Africa in 1938. He also finished on the podium (top three) in eleven other major races.

In 1937, he had a serious accident while racing. He was challenging another driver for the lead when his car crashed.

Besides being the president of the BRDC, Earl Howe was also a vice-president of the FIA's Commission Sportive Internationale. This group was in charge of international motorsport. He also spoke in the House of Lords to keep racing issues important to politicians.

After the War

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A11744
Commodore The Earl Howe (right) with his son, Lieutenant Edward Curzon, on board the battleship HMS Howe during WWII

When Second World War started, Earl Howe stopped his racing career and went back to the Navy as a commodore. After the war, he focused on organizing races. He helped prepare cars for other drivers, including the famous Tazio Nuvolari.

As president of the BRDC, he worked hard to get motor racing started again. He used his influence to allow old airfields to be used for races. He helped organize the very first British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1948. This race later became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1950. He also started the yearly BRDC International Trophy meeting at Silverstone. Under Earl Howe's leadership for 35 years, the BRDC grew into one of the most important motor sport groups in the world.

The Earl Howe Trophy

Today, the BRDC gives out a special award in his memory called The Earl Howe Trophy. Until 2018, this award went to the best British driver in the Indianapolis 500 race or the British driver with the best performance in North America. For example, in 2016, Ed Jones won it for winning the Indy Lights series. In 2017, Sam Bird won for winning two races in the Formula E world championship.

Since 2019, the award is given for the "most outstanding performance of the year in Historic racing." This means it goes to drivers who do really well in races with classic cars. The first winners under this new rule were Philip Walker and Gordon Shedden in 2019.

Family Life

Francis Curzon was the son of Richard Curzon, 4th Earl Howe, and Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Spencer-Churchill.

In 1907, he married his cousin Mary Curzon. They later divorced in 1937. He had a son, Edward Curzon, 6th Earl Howe, and a daughter, Lady Georgiana Curzon, with Mary.

He also had another daughter, Lady Sarah Curzon, with Sybil Boyter Johnson. Lady Sarah later married Piers Courage, who was a Formula One driver. After Piers passed away, she married John Aspinall. His daughter Georgiana also married a racing driver, Home Kidston.

Francis Curzon, the 5th Earl Howe, passed away in July 1964. His oldest son, Edward, became the next Earl Howe.

Racing Results

European Championship Results

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 EDC Pts
1931 Earl Howe Bugatti T51 Bugatti 2.3 L8 ITA FRA
12		 BEL 17th 20
1932 Earl Howe Bugatti T54 Bugatti 5.0 L8 ITA FRA
9		 GER 9th 20
1935 Earl Howe Bugatti T59 Bugatti 3.3 L8 MON
Ret		 FRA BEL GER SUI
10		 ITA ESP 19th 50
1936 Earl Howe Bugatti T59 Bugatti 3.3 L8 MON GER SUI
Ret		 ITA 26th 30

24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1929 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd. Australia Bernard Rubin Bentley 4½ Litre 5.0 7 DNF
(Electrics)
1930 United Kingdom Lord Howe United Kingdom Leslie Callingham Alfa Romeo 6C 1750GS 2.0 159 5th 1st
1931 United Kingdom Lord Howe United Kingdom Henry Birkin Alfa Romeo 8C 2300LM 3.0 184 1st 1st
1932 United Kingdom Lord Howe United Kingdom Henry Birkin Alfa Romeo 8C 2300LM 3.0 110 DNF
(Engine)
1934 United Kingdom Lord Howe United Kingdom Tim Rose-Richards Alfa Romeo 8C 2300LM 3.0 85 DNF
1935 United Kingdom Earl Howe United Kingdom Brian Lewis Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 3.0 129 DNF

Awards and Honours

Earl Howe received many awards and honours for his service:

See also

  • Bugatti Type 57S Atalante number 57502
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