Harold Brooks-Baker
Encyclopedia
Harold Brooks-Baker was an American
-British
financier
, journalist
and publisher, and self-proclaimed expert on genealogy
.
Born a U.S. citizen, the son of a Washington, D.C.
attorney
, he attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut
and Harvard University
, in the same class as Ted Kennedy
. He married (and divorced) a French countess, Irene Le Gras du Luart de Montsaulnin, and they had two daughters. In 1997 he remarried to Catherine Neville-Rolfe. Brooks-Baker preferred to be known as "Brookie". He adopted the "Brooks-" part of his surname voluntarily, perhaps because of a dispute with French authorities about his children's middle names.
He became a bond trader and settled in London
in the 1960s. In 1974 Brooks-Baker and his business partners took over Debrett's
, publisher of several titles on British aristocracy including Debrett’s Peerage & Baronetage.
In 1984 he moved to Burke's Peerage Partnership
as director of publishing. The partnership had been in poor financial health for years and had already sold its flagship publication, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Brooks-Baker was never associated with Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage but oversaw the publication of books about genealogy and the aristocracy including Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America. The company's major business was genealogical research.
As public relations
for Burke's, he was a frequent commentator on the British Royal family
and aristocracy in the British press. He was famous for his ostentatious and oft-disputed pronouncements regarding British royalty, and for his advocacy of the most royal candidate theory
of U.S. presidential succession.
He was often credited as 'H. B. Brooks-Baker'.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and publisher, and self-proclaimed expert on genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
.
Born a U.S. citizen, the son of a Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, he attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, in the same class as Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
. He married (and divorced) a French countess, Irene Le Gras du Luart de Montsaulnin, and they had two daughters. In 1997 he remarried to Catherine Neville-Rolfe. Brooks-Baker preferred to be known as "Brookie". He adopted the "Brooks-" part of his surname voluntarily, perhaps because of a dispute with French authorities about his children's middle names.
He became a bond trader and settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the 1960s. In 1974 Brooks-Baker and his business partners took over Debrett's
Debrett's
Debrett’s is a specialist publisher, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of The New Peerage. The name "Debrett's" honours John Debrett...
, publisher of several titles on British aristocracy including Debrett’s Peerage & Baronetage.
In 1984 he moved to Burke's Peerage Partnership
Burke's Peerage
Burke's Peerage publishes authoritative, in-depth historical guides to the royal and titled families of the United Kingdom, such as Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, and of many other countries. Founded in 1826 by British genealogist John Burke Esq., and continued by his son, Sir John...
as director of publishing. The partnership had been in poor financial health for years and had already sold its flagship publication, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Brooks-Baker was never associated with Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage but oversaw the publication of books about genealogy and the aristocracy including Burke's Presidential Families of the United States of America. The company's major business was genealogical research.
As public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
for Burke's, he was a frequent commentator on the British Royal family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
and aristocracy in the British press. He was famous for his ostentatious and oft-disputed pronouncements regarding British royalty, and for his advocacy of the most royal candidate theory
Most royal candidate theory
The most royal candidate theory is the erroneous belief that, in every presidential election in the United States, the candidate who won was the one with the most royal blood, counting lineage in European succession terms....
of U.S. presidential succession.
He was often credited as 'H. B. Brooks-Baker'.
External links
- Obituary at The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
(UK) - Obituary at The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(UK) - Obituary at USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...