Ronald Tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ronald Tree
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| Member of Parliament for Harborough |
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| In office 28 November 1933 – 5 July 1945 |
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| Preceded by | The Earl Castle Stewart |
| Succeeded by | Humphrey Attewell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 September 1897 Eastbourne, Sussex, UK |
| Died | 14 July 1976 (aged 78) London, UK |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouses |
Nancy Keene Field (née Perkins)
(m. 1920–1947)Marietta FitzGerald (née Peabody)
(m. 1947–1976) |
| Children | Michael Lambert (with Nancy) Arthur Jeremy (with Nancy) Penelope (with Marietta) |
| Residences | Kelmarsh Hall Ditchley Heron Bay, Barbados |
Arthur Ronald Lambert Field Tree (born September 26, 1897 – died July 14, 1976) was a British politician, journalist, and investor. He was a member of the Conservative Party. Ronald Tree served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Harborough area in England. He held this position from 1933 to 1945. Later in his life, he helped create the famous Sandy Lane resort in Barbados.
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Early Life and Family
Ronald Tree was born in Eastbourne, England. His father, Arthur Tree, was American and enjoyed a life of luxury. Arthur was a horse breeder and farmer. Ronald's grandfather, Lambert Tree, had been a U.S. minister to Russia.
His mother, Ethel Field, was the daughter of Marshall Field. Marshall Field helped start a big department store in Chicago, Illinois. Both sides of Ronald's family were very wealthy.
Ronald went to Winchester College in England for his education. Even after his parents divorced, Ronald and his father continued to live a very comfortable life. His father even owned a large yacht called 'The Adventuress'.
After his parents divorced in 1901, Ronald stayed with his father. They lived at Ashorne Hill House in Warwickshire. Ronald grew up there with his father and his governess, Kate Walsh.
In 1922, Ronald Tree worked as an editor for Forum Magazine in New York. By 1926, he started investing in the New York Stock Exchange. He did this before the big stock market crash in 1929.
Becoming a Politician
Ronald Tree moved back to England in 1927 with his first wife, Nancy Keene Perkins. They had two sons, Michael and Jeremy, and a daughter who sadly passed away at birth. They first rented Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire. Nancy, his wife, was very talented at decorating homes.
In November 1933, Ronald was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). He represented the Harborough area in Leicestershire. An MP is a person elected to represent their local area in the UK Parliament.
In the same year, Ronald and Nancy bought Ditchley House and Park in Oxfordshire. Nancy's amazing decorating skills at Ditchley made her famous for having excellent taste.
Friendship with Winston Churchill
Ronald Tree was one of the few people who saw the rising Nazi party in Germany as a danger to Britain. He became good friends with Winston Churchill, who would later become Prime Minister. Churchill and his wife often visited Ditchley House starting in 1937.
In 1938, Ronald Tree became a supporter of Anthony Eden. Eden had resigned from his government role because he disagreed with how foreign policy was being handled.
World War II Role
When World War II began, security officials were worried about Churchill's country home. It was easy to spot and could be a target for German bombers. Churchill's official retreat, Chequers, was also thought to be unsafe.
Ronald Tree offered his home, Ditchley, to Churchill. Ditchley was a perfect secret location because it was hidden by trees and had no clear access road. Churchill was happy to use it. He first stayed at Ditchley on November 9, 1940.
Churchill used Ditchley as his official residence during dangerous times. By late 1942, security at Chequers improved. Churchill's last official visit to Ditchley was on Ronald Tree's birthday, September 26, 1942. He visited for lunch one last time in 1943.
During the war, Churchill gave Ronald Tree a job in the Ministry of Information. Ronald left Parliament after the war. In the election in 1945, he lost his seat to the Labour candidate.
Later Life and Family
After the war, Ronald Tree married Marietta Peabody FitzGerald on July 26, 1947. They had one child together, Penelope, who later became a famous fashion model.
Marietta moved into Ditchley, but she found English country life boring. Ronald's friends were mostly conservatives, and Marietta, who was a Democrat, felt out of place. Ronald noticed his wife's unhappiness. Also, new taxes meant he had less money than before.
Because of this, Ronald sold Ditchley. He agreed to move back to New York with Marietta and their daughters. Marietta quickly became involved in politics in New York. She was elected to the Democratic State Committee in 1954. In 1961, John F Kennedy appointed her to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
Ronald Tree spent a lot of his later life at Heron Bay, his house in Barbados. He passed away from a stroke on July 14, 1976, in London, England.
Ronald Tree's Homes
Ronald Tree, like his father and grandfather, loved owning and restoring beautiful houses. He owned some of the finest homes in both the United States and England.
As a child, Ronald knew his family's house in Chicago. He also knew the Tree Studio Building and Annexes, which is now a historic place. In England, he grew up in Ashorne Hill House, a grand country home. He also lived in a London house in Harrington Gardens.
Ronald owned two of England's most historic country houses: Ditchley Park and Kelmarsh Hall. Ditchley was especially important because Winston Churchill stayed there during World War II.
Later in his life, Ronald enjoyed the warm weather in Barbados. He founded and built the Sandy Lane resort and hotel there. He also worked with Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe on his own home on the island, Heron Bay. This house is one of the finest neo-Palladian mansions in the New World. In New York, he lived for a time at the Ogden Codman House, a grand townhouse.
Images for kids
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Studio BLG Chicago
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Ashorne HIll House, Ashorne, Warwickshire, North Front
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Stable courtyard at Ashorne Hill House, Warwickshire
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Stables at Ashorne Hill House, Ashorne, Warwickshire
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Ashorne Hill House, Ashorne, Warwickshire - The Great Hall
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43 Harrington Gardens - BU London
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Kelmarsh Hall (2)
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Ditchleyfront2
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Ogden Codman, Jr. House 7 East 96th Street from east
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