Leslie O'Brien, Baron O'Brien of Lothbury

The Right Honourable

The Lord O'Brien of Lothbury

GBE PC
The Right Honourable; The Lord O'Brien of Lothbury; GBE PC
	Portrait by Walter Bird, 1967
Governor of the Bank of England
	In office; 1 July 1966 – 30 June 1973
Preceded by	The Earl of Cromer
Succeeded by	Gordon Richardson
Personal details
Born	Leslie Kenneth O'Brien; 8 February 1908; Dulwich, London
Died	24 November 1995 (aged 87); Redhill, Surrey, England
Resting place	Tandridge, Surrey, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Banker

Leslie Kenneth O'Brien, Baron O'Brien of Lothbury GBE PC (8 February 1908 – 24 November 1995) was Governor of the Bank of England.

After attending Wandsworth Grammar School in London, he joined the Bank of England in 1927 and rose through the ranks, becoming chief cashier in 1955, deputy governor in 1966, before serving as governor from 1966 until 1973.^[1] As governor, O'Brien presided over the devaluation of the pound in 1967.

He became a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 1967^[2] and was appointed to the Privy Council in 1970.^[3] Following his retirement as governor in 1973 he was created a life peer as Baron O'Brien of Lothbury, of the City of London.^[4]

He married firstly Isabelle Pickett (1908–1987) in 1932, and secondly Marjorie Taylor (born 1923) in 1989. He died in Tandridge, Surrey, in 1995.

Arms[]

Coat of arms of Leslie O'Brien, Baron O'Brien of Lothbury hide
	Coronet A Coronet of a Baron Crest In front of two Keys in saltire Azure a Needle point downwards proper threaded Gules Escutcheon Gules bezanty three lions passant guardant in pale each per pale Or and Argent Supporters On either side a Lion guardant per fess Or and Argent in the mouth a Key Or standing upon a Heap of Coins Or and Argent Motto Calm in Adversity

Footnotes[]

^ Who Was Who 1991-1995. A & C Black, London. 1996. ISBN 0-7136-4496-6.
^ "No. 44210". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1966. p. 10.
^ "No. 44999". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1969. p. 1.
^ "No. 45930". The London Gazette. 16 March 1973. p. 3513.

References[]

Middlemas, Keith (27 November 1995). "Obituary: Lord O'Brien of Lothbury". The Independent. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
Middlemas, Keith (May 2006). "O'Brien, Leslie Kenneth, Baron O'Brien of Lothbury (1908–1995)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/60373. Retrieved 6 November 2009. (subscription or UK public library membership required)

External links[]

Obituary: Lord O'Brien of Lothbury from The Independent

Government offices
Preceded by The Earl of Cromer	Governor of the Bank of England 1966–1973	Succeeded by Gordon Richardson

[1] Who Was Who 1991-1995. A & C Black, London. 1996. ISBN 0-7136-4496-6.

[2] "No. 44210". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1966. p. 10.

[3] "No. 44999". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1969. p. 1.

[4] "No. 45930". The London Gazette. 16 March 1973. p. 3513.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

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Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1922–present)	1st Baron Norman (1922–1944) 1st Baron Catto (1944–1949) 1st Baron Cobbold (1949–1961) 3rd Earl of Cromer (1961–1966) O'Brien (1966–1973) Richardson (1973–1983) Leigh-Pemberton (1983–1993) George (1993–2003) King (2003–2013) Carney (2013–2020) Bailey (2020–present)

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The Right Honourable The Lord O'Brien of Lothbury GBE PC
Portrait by Walter Bird, 1967

Governor of the Bank of England
In office 1 July 1966 – 30 June 1973
Preceded by	The Earl of Cromer
Succeeded by	Gordon Richardson

Personal details
Born	Leslie Kenneth O'Brien (1908-02-08)8 February 1908 Dulwich, London
Died	24 November 1995(1995-11-24) (aged 87) Redhill, Surrey, England
Resting place	Tandridge, Surrey, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Banker