Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill

Who was Geoffrey Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill?

Geoffrey Denis Erskine Russell, 4th Baron Ampthill, CBE, PC was a British hereditary peer and businessman, whose paternity and succession to the peerage were famously disputed in the "Ampthill baby case".

His father, John Russell, 3rd Baron Ampthill had petitioned to disclaim paternity whilst divorcing Russell's mother, Christabel Hulme Hart, in 1923, claiming non-consummation. The petition was rejected on appeal and Russell's mother was granted a declaration that he was legitimate.

Educated at Stowe School, Russell served in the Irish Guards during the Second World War, being commissioned as a Captain in 1941. He served with the Guards Armoured Division in France in 1944, where he was wounded, and in Norway in 1945.

Russell was general manager of Fortnum & Mason from 1947 until resigning in 1951, then chairman of the New Providence Hotel until 1965. He made a career in theatrical management as owner/managing director of Linnet & Dunfee from 1953 until 1981. He was afterwards a director of United Newspapers and Express Newspapers. He was also Chairman of London's Helicopter Emergency Service.