Simon Marks, 1st Baron Marks of Broughton (9 July 1888–8 December 1964), was a 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...

 Jewish businessman.

Marks was born in Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

 and educated at The Manchester Grammar School

Manchester Grammar School

The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...

. In 1907 he inherited a number of "penny bazaars" from his father, Michael Marks

Michael Marks

Michael Marks, , was one of the two co-founders of the retail chain Marks & Spencer.-Biography:...

, which had been established with Thomas Spencer. With the help of Israel Sieff

Israel Sieff

Israel Moses Sieff, Baron Sieff was a British businessman.He was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Manchester University. One of the theatres at the Manchester Grammar School is named in his honour....

, he built Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer

Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...

 into an icon of British business.

Marks was knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

ed in 1944 and in 1961 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Marks of Broughton, of Sunningdale in the Royal County of Berkshire. He died in December 1964, aged 76, and was succeeded in the barony by his only son Michael.