Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley facts for kids
James Gomer Berry (born May 7, 1883 – died February 6, 1968) was an important Welsh businessman. He owned coal mines and became a very powerful newspaper publisher. He was also given a special honor called the GBE.
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Early Life and Family
Gomer Berry was born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. His parents were John Mathias and Mary Ann Berry. He had two older brothers who were also very successful. One brother, Henry Berry, was an industrialist (meaning he ran big businesses). His other brother, William Berry, also became a famous newspaper owner, just like Gomer.
Building a Newspaper Empire
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Gomer Berry started his career in the newspaper business. He first owned The Daily Telegraph newspaper with his brother Lord Camrose and Lord Burnham.
Later, Gomer Berry started his own company called Kemsley Newspapers. This company owned many well-known newspapers, including The Sunday Times, The Daily Sketch, and The Sunday Graphic.
From 1951 to 1958, Gomer Berry was the chairman of the Reuters News Agency. This is a very important organization that collects and shares news from all over the world.
In 1954, Gomer Berry was part of a group called the Kemsley-Winnick consortium. This group wanted to win the first contracts to broadcast weekend television in the Midlands and North of England. However, Gomer Berry became worried about the financial risks involved and decided to pull out. This caused the whole group to fall apart.
In 1959, another media owner, Lord Thomson, bought Kemsley Newspapers. It's interesting to note that Lord Thomson was able to buy the company because of the money he made from his own television company, Scottish Television.
Special Honors and Titles
Gomer Berry received several special honors during his life.
- In 1928, he was given the title of a baronet. This is a special title, similar to a knight, but it can be passed down through the family.
- In 1931, he was appointed as an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.
- In 1936, he was given the title of Baron Kemsley. This made him a "peer," which is a high rank in the British system of honors.
- In 1945, he was given an even higher title, becoming Viscount Kemsley.
- In 1929, he served as the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, which is an old and respected role in local government.
- In 1959, he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) for his important work in politics and public service.
Family Life
Lord Kemsley was married two times. His first marriage was in 1907 to Mary Lilian Holmes. Together, they had six sons and one daughter:
- (Geoffrey) Lionel Berry, 2nd Viscount Kemsley (born 1909, died 1999)
- Major Hon Denis Gomer Berry (born 1911, died 1983)
- Hon William Neville Berry (born 1914, died 1998)
- Hon John Douglas Berry (born 1916, died during wartime in 1944)
- Hon Mary Pamela Berry (born 1918, died 1998)
- Flt Lt Hon Herbert Oswald Berry (born 1918, died 1952)
- Hon Sir Anthony George Berry (born 1925, tragically died in an attack in 1984)
His first wife passed away in 1928. In 1931, he married Marie Edith Merandon du Plessis. They did not have any children together.
When Viscount Kemsley died, he was buried in St Anne's churchyard in Dropmore. His second wife, Marie Edith, Viscountess Kemsley, was buried with him after her death in 1976. His eldest son, Lionel, inherited his title. His youngest son, Sir Anthony Berry, who was a Conservative politician, tragically died in the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing.
Written Contributions
As the owner of Kemsley Newspapers, Viscount Kemsley wrote several articles for his company's internal magazine, The Kemsley Writer.
He also supervised the creation of a large book called The Kemsley Manual of Journalism, published in 1950. This book was a detailed guide to modern journalism. It included an introduction written by Kemsley himself and an essay from his Foreign Manager, Ian Fleming. Ian Fleming later became famous as the author of the James Bond novels.
See also
In Spanish: Gomer Berry para niños
