William Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough
William Henry Grenfell in 1921
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| Personal information | ||||||||||
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| Born | 30 October 1855 London, England |
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| Died | 9 January 1945 (aged 89) Panshanger, Hertfordshire, England |
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| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||
| Weight | 89 kg (196 lb) | |||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||
| Sport | Fencing | |||||||||
| Club | Amateur Fencing Association | |||||||||
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Medal record
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William Henry Grenfell, 1st Baron Desborough KG GCVO (30 October 1855 – 9 January 1945) was a British athlete, sportsman, public servant and politician. He sat in the House of Commons first for the Liberal Party and then for the Conservatives between 1880 and 1905 when he was raised to the peerage. He was President of the Thames Conservancy Board for thirty-two years.
Grenfell was the son of Charles William Grenfell, former MP for Sandwich, and Georgiana Lascelles, daughter of William Saunders Lascelles, MP. He was the nephew of Henry Riversdale Grenfell, the banker and politician, and the first cousin of Edward Grenfell, 1st Baron St Just. Grenfell was educated at Harrow School and Balliol College, Oxford.
Grenfell rowed for Oxford in the Boat Race, in the only dead heat race, in 1877, and Oxford's win of 1878. He was President of the Oxford University Boat Club in 1879. He won the silver medal for fencing in the event of team épée at the 1906 Intercalated Games, having been the first person to carry the flag for Great Britain in the parade of nations. In 1908, he was president of the Olympic games held in London. He was president of the Oxford University Boat Club, the Athletic Club and of the Bartitsu Club.
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