Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Earl of Iveagh
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Rupert Edward Cecil Lee Guinness
29 March 1874 |
| Died | 14 September 1967 (aged 93) |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Gwendolen Onslow |
| Children | Hon. Richard Guinness Lady Honor Channon Arthur Guinness, Viscount Elveden Patricia Lennox-Boyd, Viscountess Boyd of Merton Brigid, Princess Frederick of Prussia |
| Parent(s) | Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh Adelaide Guinness |
| Family | Guinness |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society |
Rupert Edward Cecil Lee Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh, KG, CB, CMG, VD, ADC, FRS, DL (born March 29, 1874 – died September 14, 1967) was an important businessman, politician, and a very generous person. He was also a skilled rower. Born in London, he was the oldest son of Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh. Rupert took over from his father as the head of the University of Dublin in 1927, a role he held until 1963.
Contents
About Rupert Guinness
Early Life and Career
Rupert Guinness went to famous schools like Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He served in the military as a lieutenant. In 1900, he volunteered to help in South Africa during the Second Boer War, working with the Irish Hospital Corps.
He became a politician, first as a MP for Haggerston in 1908. He lost that seat in 1910 but then became the MP for Southend from 1912 to 1927. He also served in the navy as a captain.
In 1927, Rupert became the Earl of Iveagh after his father passed away. He also took over as the chairman of the family's famous Guinness Brewery in Dublin. For 35 years, he helped the company grow, opening new breweries in London, Nigeria, and Malaya.
Farming Innovations
Rupert Guinness loved farming. He had a large estate called Elveden in Suffolk, which had very sandy, poor soil. He had a clever idea to make it fertile. For many years, he mixed leftover grains from the brewing process into the soil. This created rich, dark soil called humus, which made the land very productive.
He was also a big supporter of science. He helped start research into getting rid of tuberculosis in cattle. He also played a key role in setting up the National Institute for Research into Dairying. This institute helped improve dairy farming.
In 1927, smart students from the Chadacre Agricultural Institute came to help him at Elveden Estate. They worked with him on his new farming ideas. One of the brightest was Victor Harrison, who joined in 1933. The Chadacre Trust still exists today, supporting agricultural research.
Lord Iveagh understood that his land needed to make more money. So, in 1932, he started buying dairy cows. He only kept cows that passed the TB test. By 1962, his farm had grown from 120 cows to 715 cows, plus many young animals. He and his wife were very interested in their cows and kept detailed "family trees" for each one.
He was also very generous. He gave a lot of money to hospitals in Dublin. In 1939, he gave his Dublin home, Iveagh House, to the government. It is now used by the Department of Foreign Affairs. He also gave the beautiful gardens to UCD.
Helping During World War II
When World War II began, the government asked farmers to grow more food. Lord Iveagh agreed to plant more crops on his estate. He plowed 600 acres (about 2.4 square kilometers) of land. Some of this land had not been farmed for a long time.
The first crops were difficult to grow. The next year, he was asked to plow another 1000 acres (about 4 square kilometers). He agreed, even though it was a big challenge. All the new fields needed fences to keep rabbits out, and getting wire was hard.
The new land produced more crops than expected. However, the War Office decided to use a large part of his estate for tank training. This caused a lot of damage to the new crops and fences. Rabbits then got in and caused even more problems.
Even with these setbacks, Lord Iveagh kept going. He got permission to farm parts of the land that the army wasn't using much. By the end of the war, he had successfully grown many crops again. He also increased the amount of fertile land by another 1000 acres.
Sadly, his only son, Arthur, was killed in action in Belgium in 1945.
After the War
After the war, the Forestry Commission wanted parts of the Elveden Estate to expand Thetford Forest. But because of Lord Iveagh's successful farming, he was able to keep his land in 1952.
It was during Rupert's time as head of Guinness that the famous Guinness World Records book began. The company was always looking for new ways to promote the Guinness name. In 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, who was the managing director, had an idea. He was at a party and got into an argument about which was the fastest game bird in Europe. He realized that a book with answers to these kinds of questions would be very popular.
Sir Hugh's idea came true when twin brothers, Norris and Ross McWhirter, were hired to create the book. The first Guinness Book of Records was published in 1955. It quickly became a best-seller in Britain by Christmas that year.
Since then, Guinness World Records has become a household name around the world. The book has sold over 80 million copies in 77 countries and 38 languages. It has also led to successful TV shows and a popular website.
Rupert was honored with the title Knight of the Garter in 1955. He retired from Guinness in 1962. In 1964, at the age of 90, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for his important work in science and agriculture. Lord Iveagh passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 14, 1967.
His Family
Rupert was married to Lady Gwendolen Onslow. She later became a Member of Parliament for Southend-on-Sea. They had five children:
- Richard Guinness (who sadly died very young)
- Lady Honor Dorothy Mary Guinness
- Arthur Guinness, Viscount Elveden (who died during World War II)
- Lady Patricia Florence Susan Guinness
- Lady Brigid Katherine Rachel Guinness
A Passion for Rowing
Rupert Guinness loved rowing from a young age. He started at Eton College, winning races there. At Cambridge, he joined the Third Trinity Boat Club. Even though he had a heart issue that stopped him from joining the main Cambridge team, he didn't give up.
He trained with a professional sculling champion named Bill East. Rupert became a very successful sculler (a type of rower). He won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley in both 1895 and 1896. He also won the Wingfield Sculls in 1896, which is a championship for amateur sculling in Great Britain. The boat he used for this win is now in the River & Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames.
He was the President of Thames Rowing Club from 1911 until he died. He was also the first President of the Remenham Club.
In 1902, Rupert was on a German torpedo boat that sank after being hit by another ship. He was returning from a yacht race but thankfully survived unharmed.
