Robert Maxwell
British media proprietor (1923–1991)
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Key Takeaways
- Ian Robert Maxwell (10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British-French media proprietor and politician.
- Of Jewish descent, he escaped the Nazi occupation of his native Czechoslovakia and joined the Czechoslovak Army in exile during World War II.
- In subsequent years he worked in publishing, building up Pergamon Press to a major academic publisher.
- , among other publishing companies.
- Robert Maxwell was litigious and often embroiled in controversy.
Ian Robert Maxwell (10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British-French media proprietor and politician. He was the father of Ghislaine Maxwell.
Of Jewish descent, he escaped the Nazi occupation of his native Czechoslovakia and joined the Czechoslovak Army in exile during World War II. He was decorated after active service in the British Army. In subsequent years he worked in publishing, building up Pergamon Press to a major academic publisher. After six years as a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) during the 1960s, Maxwell again put all his energy into business, successively buying the British Printing Corporation, Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) and Macmillan Inc., among other publishing companies.
Maxwell led a flamboyant life, living in Headington Hill Hall in Oxford, from which he often flew in his helicopter, or sailing on his luxury yacht, Lady Ghislaine, named after his daughter. Robert Maxwell was litigious and often embroiled in controversy. In 1989, he had to sell successful businesses, including Pergamon Press, to cover some of his debts. In 1991, his body was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean, having apparently fallen overboard from his yacht. He was buried on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives in what has been described as a state funeral, attended by much of the Israeli political establishment, including the President, Prime Minister, and six serving and former heads of intelligence.
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