William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, generally known as Lord Beaverbrook, was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics of the first half of the 20th century. His base of power was the largest circulation newspaper in the world, the Daily Express, which appealed to the conservative working class with intensely patriotic news and editorials. During the Second World War, he played a major role in mobilising industrial resources as Winston Churchill's Minister of Aircraft Production.
Jonathan William Patrick Aitken is a British author, Church of England priest, convicted criminal and former Conservative Party politician. Beginning his career in journalism, he was elected to Parliament in 1974, and was a member of the cabinet during John Major's premiership from 1994 to 1995. That same year, he was accused by The Guardian of misdeeds conducted under his official government capacity. He sued the newspaper for libel in response, but the case collapsed, and he was subsequently found to have committed perjury during his trial. In 1999, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which he served seven months.
Baron Beaverbrook, of Beaverbrook in the Province of New Brunswick in the Dominion of Canada and of Cherkley in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1917 for the prominent media owner and politician Sir Max Aitken, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a baronet, of Cherkley in the County of Surrey, on 3 July 1916. When Aitken died, his son disclaimed the barony three days later, stating that "there shall only be one Lord Beaverbrook in my lifetime". Since 1985, the title has been held by the latter's son, the third Baron.
The surname Aitken is derived from the Lowland Scots personal name Aitken, which is in turn a form of the name Adam. At the time of the British Census of 1881, its frequency was highest in Peeblesshire, followed by Linlithgowshire, Haddingtonshire, Stirlingshire, Fife, Dunbartonshire, Clackmannanshire, Shetland, Edinburghshire and Ayrshire.
Beaverbrook may refer to:
Sir James Hamet Dunn, 1st Baronet was a Canadian financier and industrialist during the first half of the 20th century. He is recognized chiefly for his 1935 rescue and subsequent 20-year presidency and proprietorship of Algoma Steel.
Marcia Anastasia Aitken, Baroness Beaverbrook was a British philanthropist, an art collector, and racehorse owner.
Penelope Loader, Lady Aitken, MBE, styled The Honourable Lady Aitken and nicknamed 'Pempe', was an English socialite.
Arthur Charles Valerian Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington, 9th Prince of Waterloo, 10th Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo, 9th Duke of Victoria, GE, OBE, DL, styled Earl of Mornington between 1945 and 1972 and Marquess of Douro between 1972 and 2014, is a British peer and politician. He served as Conservative Member of the European Parliament for Surrey (1979–1984) and Surrey West (1984–1989) and sits as a hereditary peer in the House of Lords.
John Loader Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby,, was a British civil servant and diplomat who was a key figure in Anglo-Irish relations during the Second World War.
Jodie Elizabeth Kidd is an English fashion model, racing driver, and television personality.
Maria Penelope Katharine Aitken is an English theatre director, teacher, actress, and writer.
Princess Antonia of Prussia, Duchess of Wellington is a British aristocrat and philanthropist. She serves as the president of The Guinness Partnership, an affordable housing community benefit society in the United Kingdom. A member of the House of Hohenzollern by birth, she is a great-granddaughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and a great-great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Through her marriage, she is also the Princess of Waterloo, Duchess of Victoria, and Duchess of Ciudad Rodrigo.
Jemma Madeleine Wellesley, Countess of Mornington, is a British make up artist, fashion model, and aristocrat.
Margaret Aitken was a Canadian author, columnist, journalist, and politician.
Lady Jeanne Louise Campbell was a British socialite and foreign correspondent who wrote for the Evening Standard in the 1950s and 1960s.
Valentine Edward Charles Browne, 6th Earl of Kenmare, styled Viscount Castlerosse from 1905 to 1941, was the Earl of Kenmare and the son of Valentine Browne, 5th Earl of Kenmare.
Janet Gladys Aitken was a Canadian-British aristocrat and socialite. The daughter of Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, she grew up at Cherkley Court in Surrey. She was the first wife of Ian Campbell, later the Duke of Argyll, and the mother of Lady Jeanne Campbell. Her second husband, who was a son of the 9th Earl of Sandwich, died in World War II. She married a third time to the Canadian army officer Major Thomas Edward Dealtry Kidd.
