Abe Bailey

Sir Abraham "Abe" Bailey, 1st Baronet, KCMG, (6 November 1864, Cradock, Eastern Cape, South Africa - 10 August 1940, Cape Town, South Africa), was a South African diamond tycoon, politician, financier and cricketer who played three first-class matches for Transvaal.

Educated in England and being a “second-generation” Randlord, he had a long business and political career based as much in South Africa as in England. He pursued his interests in horse racing, cricket, and hunting.

Art collection

These interests, as much as his aspirations to the titles and the lifestyle of the English landed gentry were influential in the formation of his personal art collection. This collection was mostly displayed in his London home and moved for safe-keeping to the north of England during the Second World War (1939-1945). On his death in 1940, and in terms of his Will, Bailey placed his collection under the protection of a special Trust established in his name and bequeathed it to the South African nation.

At his specific recommendation, this collection was placed under the curatorship of the South African National Gallery in Cape Town, where it first went on display in 1947. Bailey was one of the very few South African Randlords to leave a bequest of this nature to South Africa. The others, for the most part, failed to leave any such legacy.

Numbering over 400 items, which includes paintings, prints and drawings, the Sir Abe Bailey Bequest is the largest bequest held at the SA National Gallery to this day. It also constitutes one of the largest collections of British sporting art held by any public art museum in the world. The Sir Abe Bailey Trust has remained actively involved in its maintenance, and in more recent years has made substantial contributions to ongoing conservation work on the collection. This provides funding for the conservation work to be carried out on the paintings, frames and work on paper.

Family

First Wife: Caroline Mary Paddon (d. 23 March 1902)

# Cecil Marguerite Bailey (8 June 1895 - 29 June 1962) x 16 March 1919 Major William Francis Christie, son of Dugald Christie
# Sir John Milner Bailey, 2nd Bt. (15 June 1900 - 13 February 1946) x 12 December 1932 (divorced in 1935) Diana Churchill (1909 – 1963) (the eldest daughter of Sir Winston Churchill and Clementine Ogilvy Hozier); xx 18 October 1939 (divorced in 1945) Muriel Mullins, daughter of James Henry Mullins; xxx 4 May 1945 Stella Mary Chiappini, daughter of Charles Du Plessis Chiappini. No children from any of the three marriages.

Second Wife: Hon. Mary Westenra (1 December 1890 - 29 July 1960), daughter of Derrick Warner William Westenra, 5th Baron Rossmore, of Rossmore Castle, County Monaghan. Mary Westenra Bailey was the greatest British aviatrix of her time, who "personally guided a plane from England to the nether tip of South Africa and back" ("Time", 28 January 1930). In January 1930 she became Dame Mary Bailey, a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
# Mittie Mary Starr Bailey (1 August 1913 - 10 April 1961) x 23 May 1934 (divorced in 1935) Robin Grant Lawson, son of Sir John Grant Lawson, 1st Bt.; xx 4 December 1935 (divorced in 1947) William Frederick Lloyd, son of Samuel Janson Lloyd; xxx 1947 (divorced in 1958) George Edward Frederick Rogers.
# Sir Derrick Thomas Louis Bailey, 3rd Bt. (b. 15 August 1918) x 18 July 1946 (divorced before 1980) Katharine Nancy Darling, daughter of Robert Stormonth Darling; xx 1980 (divorced in 1990) Jean Bailey (maiden name unknown)
# Ann Hester Zia Bailey (b. 15 August 1918) x (divorced) Pierce Nicholas Netterville Synnott, son of Nicholas Joseph Synnott.
# James Richard Abe Bailey (b. 23 October 1919) x 1958 (divorced in 1963) Gillian Mary Parker, daughter of John Kilgour Parker; xx 16 April 1964 Barbara Louise Epstein, daughter of Harry Epstein.
# Noreen Helen Rosemary Bailey (b. 27 July 1921) x 27 January 1941 W/Cmdr. Peter Anker Simmons, son of R. C. Simmons; xx 8 August 1947 (divorced in 1951) Count Peter Christian Raben-Levetzau, son of Count Siegfried Raben-Levetzau.

ources

*cite news
author=
title=Royal Honors
date=1930-01-13
work=Time Magazine
url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,789077-2,00.html
accessdate=2008-08-10
* [http://www.iziko.org.za/sang/conservation/view.asp?pg=information Sir Abe Bailey Bequest]
* [http://www.abebailey.org/ The Sir Abe Bailey Collection]
* [http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/bailey.html Lady Mary Bailey]