Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere
The Right Honourable The Viscount Rothermere | |
---|---|
Viscount Rothermere | |
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
In office 1 September 1998 – 11 November 1999 Hereditary Peerage | |
Preceded by | Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere |
Succeeded by | Seat abolished pursuant to the House of Lords Act 1999 |
Personal details | |
Born | (1967-12-03) 3 December 1967 (age 56) |
Nationality | British |
Spouse | Claudia Caroline Clemence (m. 1993) |
Children | 6 |
Parent(s) | The 3rd Viscount Rothermere and Patricia Evelyn Beverley Matthews |
Education | Gordonstoun School |
Alma mater | Duke University |
Occupation | Publisher |
Jonathan Harold Esmond Vere Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere (born 3 December 1967), is a British peer and owner of a newspaper and media empire founded by his great-grandfather Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere. He is the chairman and controlling shareholder of the Daily Mail and General Trust, formerly "Associated Newspapers", a media conglomerate which includes the Daily Mail.
Early life and career
Lord Rothermere was educated at Gordonstoun School and Duke University.[1]
Harmsworth held various positions in Associated Newspapers and was managing director of the Evening Standard, when the sudden death of his father in 1998 resulted in his becoming the controlling shareholder[2] and chairman of Associated and of its parent Daily Mail and General Trust just before his 31st birthday. One change he has instituted since becoming chairman is requiring directors to retire at age 75.
He has non-domicile (non-dom) tax status and owns his media businesses through a complex structure of offshore holdings and trusts.[3]
According to the International Business Times:
The Daily Mail owner did not deny claiming tax concessions as "non-dom", though he insisted this was because his father had lived in France. Lord Rothermere acquired France as his "domicile of birth" upon his birth as his father acquired a French "domicile of choice" by becoming a tax exile in Paris.[4]
In 2013, Private Eye reported that the non-dom status could be in doubt because of his stately home, Ferne House in Wiltshire, and status as a Freeman of the City of London.[3]
He was a supporter of the then Conservative Party leader David Cameron.[5]
He ranked fourth in the Publishing, Advertising, and PR section of The Sunday Times Rich List of 2013 with an estimated wealth of £720 million.[6] In April 2015, The Sunday Times estimated his net worth at £1 billion.[7]
The BBC's Newsnight programme at the end of January 2017 reported that David Cameron, when Prime Minister, had approached Lord Rothermere to sack Eurosceptic Paul Dacre, the editor of the Daily Mail in the run up to the 2016 EU membership referendum.[8] A representative of Lord Rothermere refused to confirm or deny the story, although a spokesman for Cameron confirmed that he had tried to persuade both Dacre and Rothermere over the vote. Rothermere's representative told the media: "Over the years, Lord Rothermere has been leant on by more than one prime minister to remove Associated Newspapers' editors but, as he told Lord Justice Leveson on oath, he does not interfere with the editorial policies of his papers".[9]
Lord Rothermere chairs the Imperial War Museum foundation, following the tradition set by his great grandfather, the first Viscount.[10]
Personal life
Rothermere married Claudia DeVriese, daughter of Terence J. Clemence, on 15 July 1993.[11] They have five children:[citation needed]
- Vere Richard Jonathan Harold (b. November 1994)[12]
- Eleanor Patricia Margaret (b. November 1996)[13]
- Theodora Mairi Ferne (b. July 2001)[14]
- Iris Geraldine Lilian (b. 2004)
- Alfred Northcliffe St. John (b. 2010)
In 2002, The Guardian reported that Rothermere had fathered at least one more child prior to his marriage.[15] Rothermere confirmed this in his testimony to the Leveson Inquiry.[16]
Arms
![]() ![]() |
|
References
- ^ Greenslade, Roy (22 July 2002). "Seconds out, round two". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Rothermere: 'DMGT remains committed to journalism'". Press Gazette. 21 January 2009. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012.
- ^ a b "Rothermere's patriot games". Street of Shame. Private Eye. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013.
- ^ "How much is Daily Mail owner Lord Rothermere worth?". International Business Times UK. 10 July 2017.
- ^ Vervier, Catherine (20 July 2008). "The end of the affair: Dacre moves towards Cameron". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ^ Sweney, Mark (19 April 2013). "Barclay brothers named richest media figures in UK with £2.3bn fortune". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- ^ "Sunday Times Rich List". The Sunday Times. No. 34. 26 April 2014.
- ^ Ponsford, Dominic (1 February 2017). "BBC: David Cameron tried to get Paul Dacre sacked as Daily Mail editor because of his Eurosceptic stance". Press Gazette. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Walker, Peter (1 February 2017). "David Cameron 'asked Daily Mail owner to sack Paul Dacre over Brexit'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "Plaque - Harmsworth - IWM". London Remembers.
- ^ General Register Office of England and Wales, Marriages, September quarter 1993, Westminster, Vol 15, page 1798.
- ^ General Register Office of England and Wales, Births, Register number E60C, Entry number 038, Westminster.
- ^ General Register Office of England and Wales, Births, Register number A65C, Entry number 255, Westminster.
- ^ General Register Office of England and Wales, Births, Register number C95C, Entry number 140, Westminster.
- ^ Roy Greenslade (22 July 2002). "Seconds out, round two". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ^ "Statement by Lord Justice Leveson". Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
He seemed to think the fact that I have an illegitimate son is of some concern. In fact, my son -- I'm very proud of my son, he's a member of my family, we go on holiday together and my children are very proud to call him their brother, so I don't make a secret of it and frankly the idea that I'm offended by it is slightly offensive.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Viscount Harmsworth
Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by | Viscount Rothermere 1998–present | Incumbent |
- v
- t
- e
![Kingdom of England](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/be/Flag_of_England.svg/23px-Flag_of_England.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Coronet_of_a_British_Viscount.svg/80px-Coronet_of_a_British_Viscount.svg.png)
![Kingdom of Scotland](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Flag_of_Scotland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Scotland.svg.png)
![Kingdom of Great Britain](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Flag_of_Great_Britain_%281707%E2%80%931800%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Great_Britain_%281707%E2%80%931800%29.svg.png)
![Kingdom of Ireland](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Saint_Patrick%27s_Saltire.svg/23px-Saint_Patrick%27s_Saltire.svg.png)
- Nicholas Preston, 17th Viscount Gormanston
- Piers Butler, 18th Viscount Mountgarret
- Francis Annesley, 16th Viscount Valentia
- Henry Dillon, 22nd Viscount Dillon
- John Skeffington, 14th Viscount Massereene
- John Caulfeild, 15th Viscount Charlemont
- Richard Dawnay, 12th Viscount Downe
- Robert Molesworth, 12th Viscount Molesworth
- Adam Chetwynd, 11th Viscount Chetwynd
- Alan Brodrick, 12th Viscount Midleton
- Gustavus Hamilton-Russell, 11th Viscount Boyne
- Nicolas Gage, 8th Viscount Gage
- Phil Monckton, 13th Viscount Galway
- Mervyn Wingfield, 11th Viscount Powerscourt
- Michael Flower, 11th Viscount Ashbrook
- Pyers Southwell, 7th Viscount Southwell
- Thomas Vesey, 7th Viscount de Vesci
- Edward Hewitt, 9th Viscount Lifford
- William Ward, 8th Viscount Bangor
- William Ward, 8th Viscount Doneraile
- Henry Pomeroy, 11th Viscount Harberton
- Robert Maude, 9th Viscount Hawarden
- John Skeffington, 7th Viscount Ferrard
- Charles Monck, 7th Viscount Monck
- Foley Vereker, 9th Viscount Gort
![United Kingdom](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png)
- Edward Jervis, 8th Viscount St Vincent
- Robert Dundas, 10th Viscount Melville
- Jeremy Addington, 8th Viscount Sidmouth
- Paul Pellew, 10th Viscount Exmouth
- Thomas Stapleton-Cotton, 6th Viscount Combermere
- Peter Clegg-Hill, 9th Viscount Hill
- Thomas Hardinge, 8th Viscount Hardinge
- Alexander Hood, 4th Viscount Bridport
- Christopher Portman, 10th Viscount Portman
- Francis Brand, 7th Viscount Hampden
- Henry Smith, 5th Viscount Hambleden
- Michael Holland-Hibbert, 6th Viscount Knutsford
- Christopher Brett, 5th Viscount Esher
- Giles Goschen, 4th Viscount Goschen
- Matt Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley
- Charles Colville, 5th Viscount Colville of Culross
- Christopher Gully, 6th Viscount Selby
- Patrick Knollys, 4th Viscount Knollys
- Wenworth Beaumont, 4th Viscount Allendale
- Alastair Akers-Douglas, 4th Viscount Chilston
- Peter Curzon, 4th Viscount Scarsdale
- Edward Bigham, 5th Viscount Mersey
- Michael Pearson, 4th Viscount Cowdray
- Terence Kearley, 3rd Viscount Devonport
- William Astor, 4th Viscount Astor
- Ivor Guest, 4th Viscount Wimborne
- Rhodri Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids
- Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere
- Henry Allenby, 4th Viscount Allenby
- Frederic Thesiger, 4th Viscount Chelmsford
- James Long, 5th Viscount Long
- Nicholas Lowther, 2nd Viscount Ullswater
- James Younger, 5th Viscount Younger of Leckie
- Nicholas Samuel, 5th Viscount Bearsted
- Janric Craig, 3rd Viscount Craigavon
- Robin Bridgeman, 3rd Viscount Bridgeman
- Douglas Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham
- Crispin Joynson-Hicks, 4th Viscount Brentford
- Adrian Buckmaster, 4th Viscount Buckmaster
- Rupert Bathurst, 4th Viscount Bledisloe
- David Pollock, 3rd Viscount Hanworth
- Hugh Trenchard, 3rd Viscount Trenchard
- Jonathan Samuel, 5th Viscount Samuel
- David Runciman, 4th Viscount Runciman of Doxford
- Nicolas Davidson, 4th Viscount Davidson
- William Weir, 3rd Viscount Weir
- Piers Inskip, 3rd Viscount Caldecote
- Jonathan Berry, 5th Viscount Camrose
- Stephen Benn, 3rd Viscount Stansgate
- Richard Margesson, 3rd Viscount Margesson
- James FitzRoy Newdegate, 4th Viscount Daventry
- William Addison, 4th Viscount Addison
- Richard Berry, 3rd Viscount Kemsley
- Peter Penny, 4th Viscount Marchwood
- Henry Montgomery, 3rd Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
- John Anderson, 3rd Viscount Waverley
- John Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso
- Alan Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough
- Jason Cooper, 3rd Viscount Norwich
- Christopher Leathers, 3rd Viscount Leathers
- Peter Ramsbottom, 4th Viscount Soulbury
- Thomas Lyttelton, 3rd Viscount Chandos
- Ashley Huggins, 3rd Viscount Malvern
- Philip Sidney, 2nd Viscount De L'Isle
- Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
- Timothy Lloyd George, 4th Viscount Tenby
- Clive Mackintosh, 3rd Viscount Mackintosh of Halifax
- Andrew Morrison, 3rd Viscount Dunrossil
- James Stuart, 3rd Viscount Stuart of Findhorn
- Jonathan Kemp, 3rd Viscount Rochdale
- Mark Slim, 3rd Viscount Slim
- Richard Head, 2nd Viscount Head
- Simon Lennox-Boyd, 2nd Viscount Boyd of Merton
- Christopher Mills, 3rd Viscount Mills
- Caspar Hare, 3rd Viscount Blakenham
- John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles
- James Manningham-Buller, 3rd Viscount Dilhorne