Sydney Stern, 1st Baron Wandsworth

Sydney Stern, 1st Baron Wandsworth
Born Sydney James Stern
1845
London, U.K.
Died 10 February 1912
Occupation Banker, politician
Parent(s) David de Stern
Relatives Hermann de Stern (paternal uncle)
Lord Michelham (cousin)

Sydney James Stern, 1st Baron Wandsworth JP (1845 – 10 February 1912) was a British banker, Liberal Member of Parliament and philanthropist.

Background and education

Stern was born in London, the eldest son of Viscount David de Stern, senior partner of the firm of Stern Brothers, and Sophia, daughter of Aaron Asher Goldsmid, brother of Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid. He was the elder brother of Sir Edward Stern and the first cousin of Lord Michelham. He was educated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and admitted to the Inner Temple in 1874.[1]

Career

For some time Stern worked in his father's firm of Stern Brothers. He unsuccessfully contested the Middle Division of Surrey in 1880 and 1884, Ipswich in 1886, Tiverton in 1885, but was finally elected as MP for Stowmarket in 1891.[2] On 19 July 1895 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Wandsworth, of Wandsworth in the County of London[3] (he also held a Portuguese viscountcy by right of his father). His elevation to the peerage was a quid pro quo for donations he had made to Gladstone. The then Liberal Prime Minister Lord Rosebery was only willing to fulfill that promise (given his own commitment to Lords reform) after receiving a written request from Gladstone that he honour the deal.<ref>H.J. Hanahn, "The Sale of Honours in Late Victorian England" Victorian Studies Vol. 3, No. 3 (Mar., 1960), Indiana University Press: pp 284-285.<ref>

He was a Justice of the Peace for Surrey and London and was awarded the rank of honorary colonel in the 4th volunteer battalion of the East Surrey Regiment. He served as vice-president of the London and Counties Radical Union.

Personal life

Lord Wandsworth died in February 1912 when the barony became extinct. He left an estate of 1,555,984 pound sterling most of which was bequeathed to charity, over a million being given to found an orphanage in his name which was actually used to found Lord Wandsworth College.

References

  1. ↑ "Stern, Sydney (STN870SJ)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  2. ↑ leighrayment.com House of Commons: Stamford and Spalding to Stroud and Thornbury
  3. ↑ "No. 26645". The London Gazette. 19 July 1895. p. 4102.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Edward Greene		 Member of Parliament for Stowmarket
1891–1895		 Succeeded by
Ian Malcolm
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Wandsworth
1895–1912		 extinct
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