Leo Frank Schuster

Who was Leo Frank Schuster?

Frank Schuster, was a music-lover and patron of the arts in the United Kingdom. His home overlooking St James's Park at 22 Old Queen Street, London, part of which now contains offices of The Spectator magazine, became a meeting-place for artists, writers and musicians, including Siegfried Sassoon, John Singer Sargent, Walter Sickert, Sir Edward Elgar and Sir Adrian Boult. He was a particular patron of Edward Elgar.

Leo Francis Howard Schuster was born at 151 King's Road, Brighton and baptised at St John's parish church, Penge Surrey, on 19 November 1852. He was the only son of Mary née Howard, Fakenham Norfolk-born second wife of Leo Schuster, a London banker and long a naturalised citizen, born 1792 in Frankurt am Main died London 27 February 1871. The two children of Leo's first wife, Emilie, were baptised aged 3 and 1 on 10 December 1833 at Mosley Street Unitarian church Manchester. They were to marry, respectively, the eldest daughter of an Earl and a baronet.

He was educated at Eton College and was homosexual as were many of his friends. Like Sassoon, Schuster was of Jewish descent.