George Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend

George John Patrick Dominic Townshend, 7th Marquess Townshend DL (13 May 1916 – 23 April 2010), styled Viscount Raynham until 1921, was a British peer and businessman.

Townshend was the only son of John Townshend, 6th Marquess Townshend, and Gwladys Ethel Gwendolen Eugenie Sutherst. He notably served as Chairman of Anglia Television from 1958 to 1986. Having held his titles since the death of his father in 1921, as of 2 March 2009 Lord Townshend had held a peerage longer than any other peer in history, having passed the previous mark of 87 years, 104 days, held by Charles St Clair, 13th Lord Sinclair (b. 30 July 1768, succeeded 16 December 1775, d. 30 March 1863).

Lord Townshend married, firstly, Elizabeth Pamela Audrey Luby (d. 1989), daughter of Thomas Luby, on 2 September 1939. They had three children:

After he and his first wife were divorced in 1960, Townshend married, secondly, Ann Frances Darlow (d. 1988), daughter of Arthur Pellow Darlow, on 22 December 1960. They had two children:

Townsend married, thirdly, in 2004, Philippa Sophia Swire (born 28 April 1935), former wife of Humphrey Roger Swire (1934–2004), and daughter of George Jardine Kidston-Montgomerie of Southannan. Lady Townshend's first husband died in January 2004. She is the mother of the Conservative MP Hugo Swire.

Lord Townshend died aged 93 on 23 April (St George's Day) 2010, having held his peerage for 89 years.

...
Wikipedia