Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith

The Right Honourable
The Earl of Oxford and Asquith
OBE
Asquith coat of arms
Member of the House of Lords
Taking office
22 October 2014
Prime Minister David Cameron
Succeeding Lord Methuen
Personal details
Born Raymond (Benedict Bartholomew Michael)
Asquith
24 August 1952
London, United Kingdom
Nationality United Kingdom British
Political party Liberal Democrat
Spouse(s) Clare Asquith (née Pollen)
Children 5
Parents 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith (father)
Residence London, and Somerset
Alma mater Ampleforth;
Balliol College, Oxford
Occupation Politician
Profession Diplomat
Website www.parliament.uk
OBE ribbon
Earl's coronet

Raymond Benedict Bartholomew Michael Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, OBE (born 24 August 1952) is a British former diplomat and hereditary peer. Styled Viscount Asquith until he succeeded to his father's peerage titles on 16 January 2011, the earldom of Oxford and Asquith was created for his paternal great-grandfather, H.H. Asquith, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Biography

Early life

Lord Oxford (as he is now known) was named after his paternal grandfather Raymond Asquith, a scholar and Army officer (killed in action during the First World War), and elder son of the late 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KCMG.

He was educated at Farleigh School and Ampleforth College, before going up to Balliol College Oxford, graduating with the degree of Master of Arts (MA).

Career

Raymond Asquith joined HM Diplomatic Service in 1980 as a career diplomat, serving until 1997. As well as postings in London at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and to the Cabinet Office, he served as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow from 1983–85, and Counsellor at HM Embassy in Kiev from 1992-97. According to the Daily Telegraph, he was MI6 station commander in Moscow and was personally responsible for exfiltrating the KGB officer and British agent Oleg Gordievsky concealed in his car.[1] Asquith was appointed OBE for "diplomatic services" in 1992. Other family members who served as British diplomats include his father, his brother Sir Dominic Asquith (former British Ambassador to Iraq and Egypt),[2] and his maternal grandfather Sir Michael Palairet.

He is currently a company director of the Ukrainian corporation owned by Dmytro Firtash, and is also active in various organizations working for or promoting charitable activities in the Ukraine.[3]

In October 2014, the Earl of Oxford and Asquith was elected in the House of Lords by-election to replace the late Lord Methuen (who died in July 2014) and will sit as a Liberal Democrat, alongside his cousin Jane Bonham Carter on the government benches in the House of Lords.[4]

Personal life

Married since 1978 to the author and scholar Clare Asquith (née Mary Clare Pollen b. 2 June 1951),[5] eldest daughter of Francis Anthony Baring Pollen (1926–1987) by his wife Marie Therese Sheridan (later Viscountess Sidmouth, wife of the 7th Viscount), the Earl and Countess of Oxford and Asquith have four daughters and a son.[6][7] Their son, Mark Julian Asquith, born on 13 May 1979, styled Viscount Asquith), is heir apparent to the family titles.

The senior branch of the Asquith family has been Roman Catholic since Katherine Asquith (mother of the 2nd Earl) converted after the death of her husband. Lord Oxford's mother was also a Catholic, as is his wife.

External links

References

  1. ↑ Obituary: Sir Christopher Curwen Daily Telegraph, 24 December 2013
  2. ↑ The Hon Sir Dominic Asquith Debrett's People of Today
  3. ↑ www.reuters.com
  4. ↑ Liberal Democrats, 22 October 2014
  5. ↑ Lundy, Darryl. "Biography Clare Asquith". The Peerage.
  6. ↑ Article on Shakespeare's Catholic Code, by Clare Asquith
  7. ↑ . An interview with Clare Asquith (Countess of Oxford and Asquith)
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Julian Asquith		 Earl of Oxford and Asquith
2011–present 		Incumbent
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by
The Earl of Balfour		 Peers Succeeded by
The Earl Jellicoe