Sir John Leslie, 4th Baronet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir John Leslie, 4th Bt
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Sir Jack Leslie in June 2009
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| Born |
John Norman Ide Leslie
6 December 1916 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Died | 18 April 2016 (aged 99) |
| Occupation | Soldier, baronet, television presenter |
Captain Sir John Norman Ide Leslie, 4th Baronet (6 December 1916 – 18 April 2016), known locally as Jack Leslie, was the eldest son of Sir John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet (known as Shane Leslie), and Marjorie Ide. He became the fourth baronet when his father died in 1971.
Biography
Educated at Downside School and Magdalene College, Cambridge, Leslie never married or had children. During World War II, he served as an officer in the Irish Guards during the Battle of France before being captured at Boulogne-sur-Mer. He then spent five years in POW camps.
After the war, he moved to New York City and later travelled around Europe, settling in Rome. At the age of 78 he returned to his family's homestead, Castle Leslie and travelled to Ibiza for his 85th birthday in 2001. He inadvertently revealed the wedding location of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills by admitting to reporters it was to take place in Castle Leslie, but that it was "a secret". In January 2012, he appeared in the television programme Secrets of the Manor House, which discussed the Leslie family and Castle Leslie, among other manor homes. In 2015, he featured in the TV series Tales of Irish Castles. Leslie was presented with the Legion d'Honneur at the French embassy in Dublin on 9 November 2015.
Leslie survived his older sister, the author Anita Leslie (Anita Theodosia Moira Rodzianko King) and his younger brother, Desmond Arthur Peter Leslie. He was a first cousin once removed of former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill as his paternal grandmother, Leonie Jerome, and Churchill's mother, Lady Randolph Churchill (born Jennie Jerome), were sisters - the daughters of American financier Leonard Jerome. His mother, Marjorie Ide, was the daughter of Henry Clay Ide, an American former Governor-General of the Philippines. In 2006 he published his autobiography Never A Dull Moment. Leslie died at the age of 99 in April 2016. As of 1 June 2021 the baronetcy is 'Vacant'.
Family
He was the elder son of Sir John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet, and Marjorie Ide, daughter of General Henry Clay Ide, he was born 6 December 1916 and had an elder sister and an younger brother.
- Anita Theodosia Moira Rodzianko King (21 November 1914 – 5 November 1985), novelist & biographer; was married (secondly) to Commander Bill King, World War II submarine commander and yachtsman; had two children.
- Desmond Arthur Peter Leslie (29 June 1921 – 21 February 2001), pilot, film maker, writer, and musician. Twice married, he had five children.
