Stern, Sir Frederick Claude
STERN, SIR FREDERICK CLAUDE
STERN, SIR FREDERICK CLAUDE (1884–1967), British banker. Stern was a partner in the London banking house of *Stern Brothers. His father, James Stern, and his older brother, Sir Albert Stern, devoted their energies during World War i to the construction of the newly invented tank, while Frederick had a distinguished career on active service, mainly on the Turkish front. During World War i he came into contact with Lloyd George and served temporarily as his secretary during the Versailles Peace Conference. He was knighted in 1956. Outside his professional life he was widely known as a skillful and enthusiastic gardener, particularly as a breeder of lilies and daffodils. At his country mansion, Highdown House, near Worthing, West Sussex, Stern created a famous garden which has been the subject of several books. After his death, his widow left the house and grounds to the Worthing Council. He wrote extensively on botanic subjects and was prominent in the Linnean Society and the Royal Horticultural Society and was master of the Drapers' Co., one of London's ancient guilds. Among his writings are Study of Genus Paeonia (1946) and Snowdrops and Snowflakes (1956), a study of the general Galanthus and Leucojum.
bibliography:
Royal Horticultural Society Journal, 92 (Sept. 1967), 379–81.
[Joachim O. Ronall]