Simon Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading

The Most Honourable
The Marquess of Reading
Personal details
Born 18 May 1942
Spouse(s) Victoria Melinda Dewar
Parents Michael Alfred Rufus Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading
Margot Irene (née Duke)

Simon Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading (born 18 May 1942)[1] is an English aristocrat, banker and philanthropist.

Biography

Early life

Simon Isaacs was born on 18 May 1942.[2]

His father was Michael Alfred Rufus Isaacs, 3rd Marquess of Reading (1916-1980) and his mother was Margot Irene (née Duke).[3][4] His paternal grandfather was Gerald Isaacs, 2nd Marquess of Reading (1889–1960). His paternal great-grandfather was Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading (1860-1935). He became the fourth Marquess of Reading after his father's death in 1980.

Career

He served as a lieutenant in 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards from 1961 to 1964.[2]

He worked as a stockbroker from 1964 to 1974, and he was a member of the London Stock Exchange from 1970 to 1974.[2] From 1975 to 1980, he was Marketing Director of Brahmco International.[2] He worked for Ralph Lauren Cosmetics from 1979 to 1983.[2] He then worked for Abbey Lubbock and Abbey Sports and Events from 1984 to 1992.[2]

Philanthropy

Reading was Chairman of the Land's End John o' Groats Club from 1992 to 1996.[2] He served as Director of the Global Flying Hospitals from 1996 to 2000.[2] From 1990 to 2000, he was President of the Dean Close School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.[2] He has served on the Board of Directors of CURE International since 2004, and of the Mertens House in Saint Petersburg, Russia since 2008.[2] He served as a member of the Council of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem from 2002 to 2008.[2]

He is a patron of the Nelson Recovery Trust and, since 1998, of the Barnabas Fund.[2]

In 2003, he criticized the decision made by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, Alasdair Smith, to sell Swanborough Manor in Iford, East Sussex, which was donated by his great-grandmother, Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading (1894-1971) in the hope that it would serve as the main residence of the Vice-Chancellor until 2021.[5]

Personal life

Reading is married to Victoria Melinda Dewar. They have a son, Julian Michael Rufus Isaacs, Viscount Erleigh (born 1986), and two daughters, Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs (born 1983) and Sybilla Alice Hart née Rufus Isaacs (born 1980).They resided at historic Jayne's Court[6] in the heart of the village of Bisley, Gloucestershire for four generations before selling the manor. He is a member of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and has frequently appeared at The Lawn Tennis Championships, Wimbledon.

He is a personal friend of Charles, Prince of Wales.[7]

Ancestry

References

External Links

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Michael Alfred Rufus Isaacs
Marquess of Reading
1980 – present
Incumbent
Heir apparent:
Julian Isaacs, Viscount Erleigh