Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale

Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, KG, GCVO (25 January 1857 ^[1]–13 April 1944) was an English nobleman.

Biography

The second son of the 3rd Earl of Lonsdale, he succeeded his brother, the 4th Earl, in 1882. Lord Lonsdale was an avid sportsman and bon vivant and was known by some as "England's greatest sporting gentleman". He was a founding member of the National Sporting Club and he donated the original Lonsdale Belts for boxing. His name was also given to a clothing brand of boxing garments, worn by Muhammad Ali.

In 1888, Lonsdale set out to reach the North Pole, nearly dying before reaching Kodiak, Alaska in 1889 and returning to England. Lord Lonsdale was the inspiration for the Lonsdale cigar size, and was part of a famous wager with John Pierpoint Morgan over whether a man could circumnavigate the globe and remain unidentified. He enjoyed foxhunting, serving as Master of The Quorn from 1893 to 1898. He was also a keen football fan, and was chairman of Arsenal Football Club for a brief period in 1936 (having previously been a club director). He later became the club's Honorary President.

He was known as the Yellow Earl for his penchant for the colour. He was a founder and first president of the Automobile Association (AA) which adopted his livery.

Lord Lonsdale was the subject of a biography, The Yellow Earl: The life of Hugh Lowther (ISBN B0006BNPO6), published in 1966.

References

External links

• Portraits of Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale at the National Portrait Gallery, London