Leonard Knight Elmhirst: Difference between revisions

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox officeholder
| name          = Leonard K. Elmhirst
| name          = Leonard K. Elmhirst
| image        = Leonard K. Elmhirst NO-NB BLDSA GM2a167n (cropped).jpg
| image        = Leonard K. Elmhirst NO-NB BLDSA GM2a167n (cropped).jpg
| caption=Elmhirst in 1924
| caption=Elmhirst in 1924
| alt          = <!-- descriptive text for use by the blind and visually impaired's speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software  -->
| alt          = <!-- descriptive text for use by the blind and visually impaired's speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software  -->
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|df=yes|1893|6|6}}
| office1    = Chairman of the [[Dartington Hall|Dartington Trust]]
| term_start1  = 1931
| term_end1    = 1972
| successor1      = [[Maurice Ash]]
| office2    = [[Devon County Council|Devon County Councillor]] for [[Harberton]]
| term_start2  = 1937
| term_end2    = 1952
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1893|6|6}}
| birth_place  = [[Worsbrough]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], [[United Kingdom]]
| birth_place  = [[Worsbrough]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], [[United Kingdom]]
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1974|4|16|1893|6|6}}
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1974|4|16|1893|6|6}}
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{{Endplainlist}}
{{Endplainlist}}
| children      = 2
| children      = 2
| module          =
| allegiance          = {{flagicon|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland}} [[United Kingdom]]
| branch              = {{army|United Kingdom|name=British Army}}
| serviceyears        = 1918-19
| rank                =
| unit                =
}}
}}
'''Leonard Knight Elmhirst''' (6 June 1893 – 16 April 1974) was a philanthropist and agronomist who worked extensively in [[India]]. He co-founded with his wife, [[Dorothy Payne Whitney|Dorothy]], the [[Dartington Hall]] project in progressive education and rural reconstruction.
'''Leonard Knight Elmhirst''' (6 June 1893 – 16 April 1974) was a philanthropist and agronomist who worked extensively in [[India]]. He co-founded with his wife, [[Dorothy Payne Whitney|Dorothy]], the [[Dartington Hall]] project in progressive education and rural reconstruction.
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The influence of Tagore, and the interests and money of his wife to be, led Elmhirst to undertake an experiment in rural reconstruction at [[Dartington Hall]] in [[Devon]]. It is said that Tagore had become familiar with Dartington during his travels in England and influenced Elmhirst in his selection of the estate, which was purchased in a series of transactions in 1925. Elmhirst also assisted in the re-acquisition of his ancient family seat, [[Houndhill]], a couple of miles from his birthplace.
The influence of Tagore, and the interests and money of his wife to be, led Elmhirst to undertake an experiment in rural reconstruction at [[Dartington Hall]] in [[Devon]]. It is said that Tagore had become familiar with Dartington during his travels in England and influenced Elmhirst in his selection of the estate, which was purchased in a series of transactions in 1925. Elmhirst also assisted in the re-acquisition of his ancient family seat, [[Houndhill]], a couple of miles from his birthplace.
In 1946 he refused the offer of a [[baron]]y from [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Clement Attlee]].  In a letter to Attlee he replied that "My own work, however, as you know, has lain in the main among country people...in India, the USA and in Devonshire...acceptance would neither be easy for me to explain nor easy for my friends to comprehend".<ref>The Elmhirsts of Dartington, ''The Creation of a Utopian Community'', 344.  Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982</ref>
==Personal life==
Leonard married Dorothy Payne Whitney in September 1925. They had two children. He was the stepfather of racing driver and aviator [[Whitney Straight]] (1912-1979), actress [[Beatrice Straight]] (1914–2001) and writer and KGB spy [[Michael Whitney Straight]] (1916–2004). After Dorothy died, Leonard married Susanna Isaacs-Elmhirst<ref>{{cite journal|title=Obituary: Susanna Isaacs-Elmhirst|journal=British Medical Journal|date=2010|volume=340|page=2809|doi=10.1136/bmj.c2809|s2cid=72856153}}</ref> in 1973 in Worsborough, Yorkshire.


==Works==
==Works==
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* Work for [[Exeter University]], Devon County Council and local organisations
* Work for [[Exeter University]], Devon County Council and local organisations
* 1929: launched the International Conference of Agricultural Economists
* 1929: launched the International Conference of Agricultural Economists
* 1931: helped to found the policy think tank [[Political and Economic Planning]]<ref name="oxford dnb">{{Cite web|title = Elmhirst, Leonard Knight |author = Anthea Williams|url = https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-31072?rskey=NtJjlZ&result=1|newspaper = [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]|date = |accessdate = 18 February 2022}}</ref>
* 1932: brought [[artificial insemination of cattle]] from Russia to Devon
* 1932: brought [[artificial insemination of cattle]] from Russia to Devon
* President of the [[Royal Forestry Society]]
* President of the [[Royal Forestry Society]]
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* Irrigation and hydroelectricity in the [[Damodar Valley]], India
* Irrigation and hydroelectricity in the [[Damodar Valley]], India
* 1954: Member, Indian Rural Education Committee
* 1954: Member, Indian Rural Education Committee
==Personal life==
Leonard married [[Dorothy Payne Whitney]] in September 1925. They had two children. He was the stepfather of racing driver and aviator [[Whitney Straight]] (1912-1979), actress [[Beatrice Straight]] (1914–2001) and writer and KGB spy [[Michael Whitney Straight]] (1916–2004). Their daughter Ruth married the environmentalist [[Maurice Ash]]. After Dorothy died, Leonard married Susanna Isaacs-Elmhirst<ref>{{cite journal|title=Obituary: Susanna Isaacs-Elmhirst|journal=British Medical Journal|date=2010|volume=340|page=2809|doi=10.1136/bmj.c2809|s2cid=72856153}}</ref> in 1973 in Worsborough, Yorkshire.
==Honours==
In 1946 he refused the offer of a [[baron|barony]] from [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Clement Attlee]].  In a letter to Attlee he replied that "My own work, however, as you know, has lain in the main among country people...in India, the USA and in Devonshire...acceptance would neither be easy for me to explain nor easy for my friends to comprehend".<ref>The Elmhirsts of Dartington, ''The Creation of a Utopian Community'', 344.  Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982</ref> In 1972, he declined another honour from [[Ted Heath]].<ref name="Devon Archives">{{Cite web|title = Papers of Leonard Knight Elmhirst, 1890-1973 |author = |url = https://devon-cat.swheritage.org.uk/records/LKE|newspaper = [[South West Heritage Trust]]|date = |accessdate = 18 February 2022}}</ref>
He received honorary doctorates from Freiburg (D.Pol.Sci.), Visva-Bharati (D.Litt.), the University of Durham (D.C.L.), the University of Oxford (D.C.L.), and the University of Exeter (D.C.L.). He was elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Arts]] in 1926 and a fellow of the American Farm Economic Association in 1960.<ref name="Devon Archives"/>
He was elected Honorary President of the [[Devonshire Association]] in 1959.<ref name="Devon Assc">{{Cite web|title = Presidents |author = |url = https://devonassoc.org.uk/organisation/presidents/|newspaper = [[Devonshire Association]]|date = |accessdate = 18 February 2022}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Yorkshire]]
[[Category:British Army officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Whitney family]]
[[Category:Whitney family]]
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1893 births]]
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[[Category:People associated with Santiniketan]]
[[Category:People associated with Santiniketan]]
[[Category:People from Barnsley]]
[[Category:People from Barnsley]]
[[Category:20th-century philanthropists]]
[[Category:20th-century British philanthropists]]

Latest revision as of 03:18, 22 May 2022

Leonard K. Elmhirst
Leonard K. Elmhirst NO-NB BLDSA GM2a167n (cropped).jpg
Elmhirst in 1924
Chairman of the Dartington Trust
In office
1931–1972
Succeeded byMaurice Ash
Devon County Councillor for Harberton
In office
1937–1952
Personal details
Born(1893-06-06)6 June 1893
Worsbrough, West Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Died16 April 1974(1974-04-16) (aged 80)
NationalityBritish subject
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 1925; died 1968)
Susanna Isaacs
​
(
m. 1973)
Children2
Alma mater
OccupationPhilanthropist and agronomist
Known for
Military service
AllegianceTemplate:Country data United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United Kingdom
Branch/service British Army
Years of service1918-19

Leonard Knight Elmhirst (6 June 1893 – 16 April 1974) was a philanthropist and agronomist who worked extensively in India. He co-founded with his wife, Dorothy, the Dartington Hall project in progressive education and rural reconstruction.

Biography[edit]

Leonard Elmhirst was born into a landed gentry family in Worsbrough (now part of Barnsley, Yorkshire), where the family seat is Houndhill. He was the second of nine siblings (eight boys and one girl). His elder brother, Captain William Elmhirst, was killed on 13 November 1916, aged 24, while serving with the 8th Bn. East Yorkshire Regiment during the Battle of the Somme,[1] and the third son, Second Lieutenant Ernest Christopher Elmhirst, was killed on 7 August 1915, aged 20, while serving with the 8th Bn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) during the Gallipoli Campaign;[2] both during World War I. The fourth son, Thomas became Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst (KBE, CB, AFC, DL, RAF).

In 1912 Leonard Elmhirst went up to Trinity College, Cambridge to study history and theology, intending to follow his father into the Church. In 1914, he was deemed unfit for military service and volunteered for overseas service in the YMCA. His experience of the problems of rural India was to fundamentally change the direction of his career. After one year's service in the army he was demobilised in 1919 and entered Cornell University in Ithaca, New York to study agriculture. Arriving almost penniless, he successfully completed a four-year degree course in two years.[3] In 1920 he was elected president of Cornell's Cosmopolitan Club, which was mostly for foreign students, and found that it had large debts and depended on the philanthropy of its alumni and others. Money-raising activities brought him in contact with Dorothy Straight, who was to become his wife.

In America he also met the 1913 Nobel Laureate for Literature, Rabindranath Tagore, and in November 1921 returned to India as Tagore's secretary. In 1922, in the village of Surul (of which Sriniketan is a part) adjacent to Santiniketan, West Bengal, he set up for Tagore an Institute of Rural Reconstruction. Between 1923 and 1925, Leonard travelled twice around the globe, lecturing and supporting Rabindranath Tagore's missions to Europe, Asia and South America.[3]

The influence of Tagore, and the interests and money of his wife to be, led Elmhirst to undertake an experiment in rural reconstruction at Dartington Hall in Devon. It is said that Tagore had become familiar with Dartington during his travels in England and influenced Elmhirst in his selection of the estate, which was purchased in a series of transactions in 1925. Elmhirst also assisted in the re-acquisition of his ancient family seat, Houndhill, a couple of miles from his birthplace.

Works[edit]

In 1931, when the Dartington Hall experiment was established they set up a trust to manage its affairs so they could undertake other work worldwide. Leonard's work included:

Personal life[edit]

Leonard married Dorothy Payne Whitney in September 1925. They had two children. He was the stepfather of racing driver and aviator Whitney Straight (1912-1979), actress Beatrice Straight (1914–2001) and writer and KGB spy Michael Whitney Straight (1916–2004). Their daughter Ruth married the environmentalist Maurice Ash. After Dorothy died, Leonard married Susanna Isaacs-Elmhirst[5] in 1973 in Worsborough, Yorkshire.

Honours[edit]

In 1946 he refused the offer of a barony from Prime Minister Clement Attlee. In a letter to Attlee he replied that "My own work, however, as you know, has lain in the main among country people...in India, the USA and in Devonshire...acceptance would neither be easy for me to explain nor easy for my friends to comprehend".[6] In 1972, he declined another honour from Ted Heath.[7]

He received honorary doctorates from Freiburg (D.Pol.Sci.), Visva-Bharati (D.Litt.), the University of Durham (D.C.L.), the University of Oxford (D.C.L.), and the University of Exeter (D.C.L.). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1926 and a fellow of the American Farm Economic Association in 1960.[7]

He was elected Honorary President of the Devonshire Association in 1959.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "ELMHIRST, W." cwgc.org.
  2. ↑ "ELMHIRST, ERNEST CHRISTOPHER". cwgc.org.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Leonard Knight Elmhirst, The Straight and Its Origin, 1975, OCLC 2046429 originally serialized in Cornell Alumni News, 1974–75
  4. ↑ Anthea Williams. "Elmhirst, Leonard Knight". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "Obituary: Susanna Isaacs-Elmhirst". British Medical Journal. 340: 2809. 2010. doi:10.1136/bmj.c2809. S2CID 72856153.
  6. ↑ The Elmhirsts of Dartington, The Creation of a Utopian Community, 344. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Papers of Leonard Knight Elmhirst, 1890-1973". South West Heritage Trust. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "Presidents". Devonshire Association. Retrieved 18 February 2022.

Further reading[edit]

  • Michael Young, The Elmhirsts of Dartington, The Creation of a Utopian Community, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982
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