Person Beit; Sir; Otto John (1865 - 1930); financier, philanthropist, and art connoisseur Beit Otto John Sir financier, philanthropist, and art connoisseur 1865 - 1930 Male Hamburg, Germany, Europe 07 December 1865 18651207 London 07/12/1930 19301207

49 Belgrave Square, London (1924)

financier, philanthropist, and art connoisseur Career: Went to England an joined Wernher, Beit & Co., stockbroking firm (1888); left for South Africa to gain experience in the diamond industry, taking an active role in the development of Rand Gold Mines and became a member of Hermann Eckstein's firm, H. Eckstein & Co (1890-6); returned to London and became a naturalised British citizen (1896); supported the imperialist vision of Cecil Rhodes, and as his house-guest at the time of the Jameson Raid; decided to pursue philanthropy and donated to children's sanatoria, libraries and a homoeopathic research institute; director of Rhodesia Railways Ltd; Member, Governing Body of Imperial College (1912–1930); Trustee of the Rhodes Trust, and Beit Railway Trust for Rhodesia; founded Beit Memorial Trust for Medical Research; established the Beit Fellowship at Imperial College in memory of his brother Alfred (1913); founded the Beit Fellowships for Scientific Research at Imperial College; helped the Victoria and Albert Museum to acquire many works of art. Honours: KCMG 1920; Bt 1924 Parents: Siegfried Beit (1818–1881), silk merchant, andLaura Caroline Hahn (b. 1819). The Beits, who were of Sephardic Jewish descent, had settled in Hamburg in the seventeenth century. Brother: Alfred Beit (1853-16 July 1906), diamond magnate in South Africa. Spouse: Lilian Carter, the daughter of Thomas Lane Carter of New Orleans, Louisiana, US (27 May 1897). Children: Two sons and two daughters, the elder son Theodore killing himself in 1917 and the younger being Alfred Lane Beit. Statute 12 06/11/1924 59 Arthur Schuster; Thomas Ralph Merton; Hugh Frank Newall; Arthur Stanley Eddington; Alexander Scott; Jocelyn Sharpe; W E Dalley; William Henry Bragg; Harold Wager Thomas Henry Holland; Thomas Renton Elliott; Frank Edward Smith; Frederick William Andrewes; Sidney Frederic Harmer; Edwin Stephen Goodrich; Diarmid Noel Paton; Arthur Hill; David Prain; James Hopwood Jeans; William Bate Hardy Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB Obituaries: Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 1932-1935 vol l pp 60-62, plate, signed by J R B International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.1932.0012 7 Dec 1865 - 7 Dec 1930 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 20/03/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA748 21/11/2001 Andyg pmab 20/03/2024 RS_NET\VidaM Yes da693306-a1da-4787-87e0-921521efc431