Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere

Lore & Background

Two of Rothermere's three sons were killed in action during the First World War. In the 1930s, he advocated peaceful relations between Germany and the United Kingdom, and used his media influence to that end. He became known for his open support for fascism and praise for Nazi Germany and the British Union of Fascists. After seeing his hopes dashed by the outbreak of the Second World War, he died in Bermuda. He was the second son of Alfred and Geraldine Harmsworth, and his thirteen siblings included Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, Cecil Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth, Sir Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet, and Sir Hildebrand Harmsworth, 1st Baronet. He was educated at St Marylebone Grammar School, then became a clerk for the Board of Trade. In 1888 he joined his elder brother Alfred's newspaper company, and in 1894 he and his brother purchased the Evening News for £25,000. In 1896 they founded the Daily Mail, and in 1903 they launched the Daily Mirror. In 1910 Harmsworth bought the Glasgow Record and Mail, and in 1915 the Sunday Pictorial. By 1921 he was owner of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Pictorial, Glasgow Daily Record, Evening News, and Sunday Mail, and shared ownership of Associated Newspapers with his brother Alfred. His greatest success came with the Daily Mirror, which had a circulation of three million by 1922. In 1904, on behalf of his brother Alfred, he travelled to Newfoundland to search for a supply of timber and a site to build a pulp and paper mill, leading to the founding of the Anglo-Newfoundland Corporation. He was fascinated with aviation, and in 1906 offered a prize of £1,000 for the first flight across the English Channel, and another £10,000 for the first flight from London to Manchester. He was created a baronet in 1910, Baron Rothermere in 1914, and Viscount Rothermere in 1919. He served as President of the Air Council under David Lloyd George but was ejected after five months. In 1921 he founded the Anti-Waste League. After his brother's death in 1922, he acquired his controlling interest in Associated Newspapers for £1.6 million, and the next year bought the Hulton newspaper chain. He sold the Associated Press and The Times to pay death duties. He had a fundamentally elitist conception of politics and disapproved of extending the vote to women and lower-class men.

Reader's Guide

Rothermere built his fortune and influence alongside his elder brother, Alfred Harmsworth, with whom he founded the *Daily Mail* in 1896 and the *Daily Mirror* in 1903. He later acquired the *Evening News*, the *Sunday Pictorial*, and the *Glasgow Daily Record*, and by 1922 the *Daily Mirror* had achieved a circulation of three million. His business ventures extended beyond journalism; in Newfoundland, he developed a company town at Grand Falls for a pulp and paper mill and founded the Anglo-Newfoundland Corporation. He was also an early aviation enthusiast, offering newspaper prizes for the first flights across the English Channel and from London to Manchester. During the First World War, he served briefly as President of the Air Council under David Lloyd George, but his dictatorial business style and inability to compromise made him an ineffective cabinet member, and he was removed after five months. The war also brought personal tragedy: two of his three sons were killed in action. In the 1930s, Rothermere used his media empire to advocate peaceful relations with Germany and openly supported fascism, praising Nazi Germany and the British Union of Fascists, which helped popularise those views. His hopes for peace were dashed by the outbreak of the Second World War, and he died in Bermuda in 1940. His descendants continue to control the Daily Mail and General Trust.

Did You Know?

• Rothermere's greatest success came with the Daily Mirror, which had a circulation of three million by 1922.
• He offered a £1,000 prize for the first flight across the English Channel in 1906.
• Two of his three sons were killed in action during the First World War.
• He founded the Anti-Waste League in 1921 to combat excessive government spending.
• He was a sponsor for Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook) when Aitken first entered the House of Lords.