Vivian Smith, 1st Baron Bicester

Vivian Hugh Smith, 1st Baron Bicester (9 December 1867 – 17 February 1956), was a British merchant banker.

The Lord Bicester
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
29 June 1938 – 17 February 1956
Preceded byPeerage created
Succeeded byThe 2nd Baron Bicester
Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
In office
1934–1956
Preceded byThe Duke of Marlborough
Succeeded byThe Earl of Macclesfield
Personal details
Born
Vivian Hugh Smith

(1867-12-09)9 December 1867
Died17 February 1956(1956-02-17) (aged 88)
Spouse
Lady Sybil Mary McDonnell
(m. 1897)
ChildrenRandal Hugh Vivian Smith, 2nd Baron Bicester
Victoria Alexandrina Vivian Smith
Mary Constance Vivian Smith
Stephen Edward Vivian Smith
Joyce Sybil Vivian Smith
Honor Mildred Vivian Smith
Hugh Adeane Vivian Smith
Parent(s)Hugh Colin Smith
Constance Maria Josepha (Adeane) Smith
RelativesJohn Abel Smith (grandfather)
Henry John Adeane (grandfather)
Mildred Smith (sister)
Aubrey Smith (brother)
EducationEton College
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
OccupationBanker

Early life

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Vivian Hugh Smith was born on 9 December 1867. He was the elder son of Hugh Colin Smith (son of John Abel Smith and Governor of the Bank of England from 1897 to 1899) and Constance Maria Josepha (née Adeane). He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.[1] His brother Aubrey followed the different path of joining the Royal Navy at the age of eleven and later rose to be an admiral.

Career

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Smith served as the Chairman of Yule Catto & Company Ltd (present-day Synthomer), Governor of the Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation from 1914 to 1956, and a Director of Morgan Grenfell & Co. Between 1934 and 1956, he also held the honorary position of Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. On 29 June 1938, Smith was raised to the peerage as Baron Bicester, of Tusmore in the County of Oxford.[2]

Personal life

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In 1897, Smith was married to Lady Sybil Mary McDonnell, daughter of William McDonnell, 6th Earl of Antrim, and the former Louisa Jane Grey (a granddaughter of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey). Together, they were the parents of seven children:[3]

Lord Bicester died in February 1956, at the age of eighty-eight, and was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Randal. His wife died in 1959.[3]

Descendants

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Through his second son Stephen, he was a grandfather of Angus Edward Vivian Smith (1932–2014) and Hugh Charles Vivian Smith (1934–2016), the 3rd and 4th Barons Bicester.[3]

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ "Smith, Vivian Hugh (SMT887VH)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  2. ^ "No. 34528". The London Gazette. 5 July 1938. p. 4327.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Bicester, Baron (UK, 1938)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ^ "ELENOR A. HEWITT ENGAGED TO MARRY; Betrothal to Stephen V. Smith, Son of Vivian and Lady Sybil Smith, Announced. BRIDE-TO-BE NOW IN LONDON Was Introduced to Society Two Winters Ago--A Graduate of the Brearley School. Sickles--Lehman". The New York Times. 27 February 1929. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. ^ "ELENOR HEWITT WED TO STEPHEN SMITH; Revs. Dr. Reiland and Geer Officiate at International Marriage in St. George's Church.ELABORATE FLORAL DISPLAY Vested Choir Sings--Lord Charles Cavendish of London an Usher--Reception at Hewitt Home". The New York Times. 16 May 1929. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
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Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
1934–1956
Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Bicester
1938–1956
Member of the House of Lords
(1938–1956)
Succeeded by