Julian Hodge
Sir Julian Stephen Alfred Hodge (15 October 1904 – 17 July 2004) was a
for most of his life, from the age of five.Background and beginnings
Julian Hodge was born on 15 October 1904 in Camberwell, south London, the son of an electrician. His mother was Irish.[2] At the age of four he moved with his family to Pontllanfraith in the South Wales Valleys.
He left school from the
Hodge formed the idea of creating a national bank for Wales. His business was initially based on insurance and money lending and he floated his company as the Hodge Group in 1961. In 1972 he formed the
He also founded the Jane Hodge foundation, named after his mother, to give money to charitable causes, often offering a 'double your money' challenge where he would match the amounts raised by the public.[4]
In later life from his home as a tax exile in Jersey,[2] Hodge helped fund the campaign for a "No" vote in the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum and his son, Robert Hodge, was chairman of the "Just Say No" campaign.[4]
In 2004 the Sunday Times Rich List estimated his fortune at £48 Million, making him the 18th richest person in Wales, and the oldest of Britain's 1,000 richest people.[citation needed]
He died at his home on Jersey, three months short of his 100th birthday. A donation in his will funded the construction of the Sir Julian Hodge Memorial Organ at St Peter's Church, Roath, Cardiff.[5]
References
- ISBN 978-1-4456-4251-2.
- ^ a b c d e John Cunningham (21 July 2004) "Sir Julian Hodge" (obituary), The Guardian.
- ^ Kirstie McCrum (8 March 2014). "Inside the £3m home of Wales' most famous financier". Wales Online. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Banker Sir Julian Hodge dies, 99", BBC News, 19 July 2004. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "Memorial Organ". stpeters-roath.co.uk. Retrieved 23 September 2020.