Hildebrand Alfred Beresford Harmsworth
Sir Hildebrand Alfred Beresford Harmsworth, 2nd Baronet (27 May 1901 – 15 November 1977), known as "Sunny" Harmsworth, was a member of the Harmsworth newspaper publishing family but took no part in the family business.
Early life[edit]
Hildebrand Alfred Beresford Harmsworth was born on 27 May 1901,[1] the first son of Hildebrand Aubrey Harmsworth, 1st Baronet, and Kathleen Mary Harmsworth, née Berton. He was educated at Harrow School.[2] By the time of the 1911 census the family were living at First Avenue, Hove, East Sussex. He had three brothers, Ronald Aubrey Leicester Harmsworth (1902 – 26 January 1946), Chamberlain Michael Hildebrand Harmsworth (born 1903), and Perceval Anthony Thomas Harmsworth (born 1907).[3]
Family[edit]
Harmsworth inherited the baronetage in 1929[4] on the death of his father from cirrhosis of the liver.[5] He married Elen Billenstein (died 29 December 2005), daughter of Nicolaj Billenstein of Randers, Denmark, in 1925.[6] They had a son, Hildebrand Harold Harmsworth, 3rd Baronet, and a daughter, Ingeborg Kathleen Elen Harmsworth.
Later life[edit]
In later life, Harmsworth lived on the income from a Canadian trust, and had houses at Long Island, New York; Florida; and Deepdene, Surrey. He died on 15 November 1977,[7] not having divorced, and left his money to Valerie de Pass, his companion of 40 years, leading to legal action from his estranged wife. In proceedings he was described by the judge as "a restless and self-centered man who could not bear to be alone, and whose life centered on his women friends, fishing, and his need for sun".[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "HARMSWORTH, Sir Hildebrand Alfred Beresford", Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2016; online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- ^ "Sir Hildebrand Harmsworth", The Times, 20 April 1929, p. 17.
- ^ Hamilton, Everard. (1920) Hamilton memoirs: Being historical and genealogical notices of a branch of that family which settled in Ireland in the reign of King James I. 2nd edition. Dundalk: William Tempest, Dundalgan Press. p. 59.
- ^ Andrew Thorpe; Richard Toye, eds. (2016). Parliament and politics in the age of Asquith and Lloyd George: The diaries of Cecil Harmsworth, MP, 1909–1922. Camden Fifth Series Volume 50. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-107-16245-7.
- ^ Bourne, Richard. (2015). Lords of Fleet Street: The Harmsworth dynasty. Routledge. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-317-40387-6.
- ^ Daily Telegraph 12 January 2006
- ^ "Sir Hildebrand Harmsworth", The Times, 21 November 1977, p. 17.
- ^ Bourne, p. 238.