Gordon Richardson, Baron Richardson of Duntisbourne

Gordon Richardson, Baron Richardson of Duntisbourne (* November 25, 1915, † 22 January 2010) was a British banker, lawyer and politician.

Life

Richardson was born the son of John Robert Richardson and Nellie Richardson. His father was a grocer. He attended Nottingham High School, Nottingham. Later he studied law at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws ( LLB). During the Second World War he served as a soldier in the South Nottinghamshire Hussars.

In 1946 he was admitted as a barrister at Gray's Inn. Richardson practiced at this time primarily in the field of company law. From 1951 to 1955 Richardson was a member of the British Bar Association ( the Bar Council ). He then, however, his career as a lawyer and moved to an administrative official in the city administration of the City of London.

Richardson's career in finance began in 1955 with the Industrial and Commercial Finance Corporation, a state-owned company founded to finance of small and medium business projects. 1957 Richardson joined Schroders plc, a globally operating asset management company. There he was first director, from 1962 to 1973, he was then there CEO.

In 1973 he was in the government of Prime Minister Edward Heath President ( Governor ) of the Bank of England. This office he held until 1983. In Richardson's tenure, among other things, the decline of sterling during the sterling crisis in 1976, which forced the UK to massive negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, the sterling crisis in September 1992 ( " Black Wednesday "); almost two years after Britain had or the pound temporarily joined the European Monetary System (EMS), the collapse of the Herstatt Bank and other correspondence and settlement banks for the U.S. dollar as well as international conventions and agreements on debt arrangements for third-world countries. For battered by the financial crisis banks Richardson forced a bailout program by solvent banks.

During his tenure, he was admitted to the Privy Council in 1976. After the end of his term as Governor of the Bank of England Richardson was 1984-1989 Chairman of the Pilgrim Trust, a British charity. He was also Chairman of the Advisory Board ( International Advisory Board ) of the New York investment bank Morgan Stanley. Later, he was Senior Advisor there.

Richardson has received several awards. In 1979, the Territorial Decoration Medal he was awarded. In 1983 he was awarded the Order of the Garter. In 1983 he was also appointed deputy lieutenant of the county of Gloucestershire. From 1984 to 1989 he was High Steward of Westminster. Since 1982 he was also Deputy High Steward of the University of Cambridge. Richardson was also a member of the Order of the British Empire ( Military Division ).

Richardson died at the age of 94 years. His death was announced on 22 January 2010 in a press release of the Bank of England Mervyn King, the incumbent governor.

Richardson was married to Margaret Sheppard since 1941. He was the father of two children.

Membership in the House of Lords

Richardson was raised at the 1983 Life Peer. He held the title Baron Richardson of Duntisbourne, of Duntisbourne in the County of Gloucestershire. In the House of Lords he was sitting as Cross Bencher.