George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld

Arthur George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld, GBE (born 13 September 1919) is a British publisher, philanthropist, and newspaper columnist.

Life and career

Born in Vienna, Austria, Weidenfeld attended the University of Vienna and the city's Diplomatic College. Following Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938, he emigrated to London and began work with the monitoring service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. By 1942 he was a political commentator for the BBC and also wrote a weekly newspaper column.

In 1948 Weidenfeld co-founded the publishing firm Weidenfeld & Nicolson with Nigel Nicolson. The firm published several titles, including Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita and Nicolson's own controversial autobiography Portrait of a Marriage. In 1949 he served as political adviser and Chief of Cabinet to Chaim Weizmann. In 1985 Weidenfeld's publishing interests expanded to the United States, when he acquired the Grove Press in partnership with Ann Getty (wife of Gordon Getty). Grove later merged with the New York division of Weidenfeld & Nicolson to form Grove Nicolson. In 1991 Weidenfeld & Nicolson's UK branch was sold to the Orion Publishing Group and became Orion's main non-fiction imprint, with Weidenfeld as non-executive chairman. In 1993 the US company, Grove Nicolson, merged with the Atlantic Monthly Press to form Grove/Atlantic Inc. In 2005 he arranged the publication of Memory & Identity by John Paul II. Weidenfeld is also Joint chairman Advisory Board Blavatnik School of Government in Oxford; Adviser to the Board of Axel Springer AG Berlin and a columnist for the Berlin newspapers Die Welt, Welt am Sonntag and Bild Zeitung.

In January 2006 the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, originally founded as The Club of Three in the 1990s, was established with Weidenfeld as its president. This network-based policy organisation works with global leaders in the private and public sectors to challenge the long-range threats to international and communal peace and to enhance Europe's capacity to be a coherent and effective player. In 2006 he initiated the Weidenfeld Scholarships and Leadership Programme in Oxford and, in 2010, founded the Humanitas Programme of Visiting Chairs at Oxford and Cambridge.

Weidenfeld has served in many philanthropic capacities including Chairman of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev (1996–2004), Governor of the Weizmann Institute, Vice-Chairman of the EU-Israel Forum, member of the Founding Council of the Rothermere American Institute at the University of Oxford, Trustee, Royal Opera House (1974–87) and Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery (1988–95). He also established the "Weidenfeld Safe Havens Fund", which intends to support Christians fleeing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Although its focus on Christians has caused some criticism.

Honours and awards

Weidenfeld, who became a British citizen in 1947, was knighted in 1969 and created a life peer on 25 June 1976 taking the title Baron Weidenfeld, of Chelsea in the County of Greater London. He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for public service. Further honours have included Honorary Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford, Honorary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford Hon. Fellow, King's College London and Honorary D.Litt. from the University of Exeter. He was made an Honorary Senator of Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn in 1996 and awarded the Degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, by Oxford University in 2010. He holds the German Knights Commanders Cross (Badge & Star) of the Order of Merit (1991); the Austrian Cross of Honour First Class for Arts and Science (2002); the Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the County of Vienna (2003); the Italian Grand Officer of the Order of Merit (2005); the Order of Merit of the Land Baden-Württemberg (2008). The Polish Foreign Minister awarded him with the Bene Merito distinction in 2011. He received the London Book Fair/Trilogy Lifetime Achievement Award for International Publishing in 2007; the Teddy Kollek Life Achievement Award in Jerusalem in 2009.

Personal life

Weidenfeld has been married to Annabelle Whitestone since 1992.

Arms

Arms of George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld

Coronet A Coronet of a Baron Crest A Demi Wolf regardant Sable holding in the mouth a Scroll Argent Escutcheon Per fess Or and Vert a Fess embattled Argent masoned proper overall a Weeping Willow eradicated proper Supporters Dexter: an Old Man proper bearded Argent habited in a Gown and Cap Sable supporting in his exterior hand a Tablet proper; Sinister: a Youth proper habited in a Blouse Argent and Breeches Or Boots and Peaked Cap Sable holding in the exterior hand a Rapier point downwards proper scabbarded Sable Motto Cedant Arma Togae (Arms must yield to the gown) Orders Order of the British Empire circlet (Appointed GBE 2011)

References

• Institute for Strategic Dialogue – Lord Weidenfeld's Biography
• The IJP George Weidenfeld Bursary for British and German journalists

External links

• "The New Statesman Profile – George Weidenfeld." at the Wayback Machine (archived 17 February 2012) Quentin Letts, New Statesman, 1 January 1999.
• George Weidenfeld on arte.tv