Sir Ernest Ridley Debenham, 1st Baronet (26 May 1865 – 25 December 1952), was an English businessman.[1] He was responsible for the considerable expansion of the family's retail and wholesale drapery firm between 1892 and 1927.
Ernest Debenham | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ernest Ridley Debenham 26 May 1865 Wigmore Street, Marylebone, England |
| Died | 25 December 1952 (aged 87) Moor Lane House, Briantspuddle, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1892–1927 |
| Employer | Debenhams Ltd |
| Organization | Debenhams |
| Known for | |
| Title | Chair of Debenhams Ltd |
| Term | 1892–1927 (retirement) |
| Predecessor | William Debenham Jnr |
| Successor | Sir Piers Debenham |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Cicely Kenrick (m. 1892–1950) |
| Children | 8 (including the artist Alison) |
| Relatives | William Debenham (grandfather) Sir Piers Debenham William Kenrick (father-in-law) |
Biography
editBorn at 42 Wigmore Street, Marylebone, he was the son of Frank Debenham and his wife Emma Folkard née Ridley.[2] Educated at Marlborough College and Trinity College, Cambridge,[3]
At the age of 27 he joined the successful business of Debenham & Co., which had been run by his grandfather and father.[2] His restructuring activities led to the splitting of the manufacturing from the retail side of the business, under the name Debenham & Freebody (Freebody was the maiden name of his grandmother). He effected a merger with Marshall & Snelgrove as well as a takeover of Harvey Nichols.[2] He was noted for his paternalistic attitude towards his staff, providing medical and educational support. He was also a pioneer in the dairy industry.[1]
On 8 November 1892 he married Cicely Kenrick (1869–1950), daughter of William Kenrick. The couple had eight children, including the artist Alison Debenham.[1][4]
Debenham had an interest in politics, and was a supporter of the Conservative Party. Although he considered entering parliament, his business interests prevented this.[1] He did enter local politics, however. He was a member of St Marylebone Borough Council, serving as mayor of the borough in 1910–12.[5][6] He was also a member of the London County Council. He was elected unopposed at a by-election on 28 February 1912 for the Conservative-backed Municipal Reform party to represent the Marylebone East division, remaining a councillor until 1919.
On his retirement in 1927 he sold most of his shares in the firm for £1.8M, so severing his family's connections with the retail chain that still bears his name.[2] He devoted the rest of his life to dairy farming on his estates in Dorset.[1] He was created a baronet, of Bladen in the County of Dorset, in 1931.[7] He died on Christmas Day 1952 at Moor Lane House, Briantspuddle, Dorset, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son, Piers Kenrick Debenham, born in 1904.[1][2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Obituary: Sir E. R. Debenham". The Times. 29 December 1952. p. 8.
- ^ a b c d e Shaw, Gareth (2004). "Debenham, Sir Ernest Ridley, first baronet (1865–1952), department store owner". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/47416. Retrieved 8 June 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Debenham, Ernest Ridley (DBNN883ER)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ David Buckman (2006). Artists in Britain Since 1945 Vol 1, A to L. Art Dictionaries Ltd. ISBN 0-953260-95-X.
- ^ "Election of Mayors". The Times. 10 November 1910. p. 8.
- ^ "Election of Mayors". The Times. 10 November 1911. p. 7.
- ^ "No. 33686". The London Gazette. 3 February 1931. p. 744.