William Brooks Close
Encyclopedia
William Brooks Close was the founder of Close Brothers Group
, one the United Kingdom
's oldest merchant bank
s.
and brought up on his father's yacht
, William Brooks Close was educated at Wellington College
and Trinity College, Cambridge
where he rowed in the Cambridge
boat in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races of 1875, 1876 and 1877. Cambridge won in 1876 and the 1877 race was the only ever dead heat
. He was also runner up to Alfred Dicker
in the Diamond Challenge Sculls
at Henley Royal Regatta
in 1875.
Close went to the United States
and, with the assistance of his brothers, James and John
, started buying up land in Iowa
; their first purchase was a tract of 14475 acres (58.6 km²) bought at just $2.40 per acre. Soon the brothers were recruiting staff from British
universities to farm the prairies of Iowa
. They used this wealth to offer farm mortgages to other land owners. The land was subsequently sold to local tenants.
In 1897 Close secured the rights to build a railway from Skagway
into the Yukon
. This enterprise was completed and operational by 1899.
Close built a house, Huntercombe Manor, at Nettlebed
. He died in 1923 on the Isle of Wight
.
Close Brothers Group
Close Brothers Group plc is a British specialist financial services group based in the City of London. The company makes loans, trades securities and provides advice and investment management solutions to a wide range of clients....
, one the United Kingdom
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...
's oldest merchant bank
Merchant bank
A merchant bank is a financial institution which provides capital to companies in the form of share ownership instead of loans. A merchant bank also provides advisory on corporate matters to the firms they lend to....
s.
Career
Born in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
and brought up on his father's yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
, William Brooks Close was educated at Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
where he rowed in the Cambridge
Cambridge University Boat Club
The Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
boat in the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races of 1875, 1876 and 1877. Cambridge won in 1876 and the 1877 race was the only ever dead heat
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
. He was also runner up to Alfred Dicker
Alfred Dicker
Alfred Cecil Dicker was an English clergyman and rower who won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta three times and the Wingfield Sculls twice....
in the Diamond Challenge Sculls
Diamond Challenge Sculls
The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England...
at Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
in 1875.
Close went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and, with the assistance of his brothers, James and John
John Brooks Close
John Brooks Close-Brooks was an English banker and amateur rower who won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta in 1870 and rowed for Cambridge in the Boat Race in 1871 and 1872.-Career:...
, started buying up land in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
; their first purchase was a tract of 14475 acres (58.6 km²) bought at just $2.40 per acre. Soon the brothers were recruiting staff from 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...
universities to farm the prairies of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. They used this wealth to offer farm mortgages to other land owners. The land was subsequently sold to local tenants.
In 1897 Close secured the rights to build a railway from Skagway
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
into the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. This enterprise was completed and operational by 1899.
Close built a house, Huntercombe Manor, at Nettlebed
Nettlebed
Nettlebed is a village in England in the Chiltern Hills about northwest of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and southeast of Wallingford.-History:Archaeological finds show that the area around Nettlebed has been inhabited since Palaeolithic times....
. He died in 1923 on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
.