John Gathorne-Hardy, 3rd Earl of Cranbrook
# John Gathorne-Hardy, 3rd Earl of Cranbrook

John David Gathorne-Hardy, 4th Earl of Cranbrook CBE JP DL (15 April 1900 – 22 November 1978) was a British peer.

## Early life

Gathorne-Hardy was born in 1900 at 27 Cranley Gardens, South Kensington, London. He was the son of Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 3rd Earl of Cranbrook and Lady Dorothy Boyle, the daughter of David Boyle, 7th Earl of Glasgow. He had three younger brothers: the Hon. Edward Gathorne-Hardy and the Hon. Robert Gathorne-Hardy – both notable socialites, the Hon. Anthony Gathorne-Hardy, a Royal navy surgeon, and one sister, Lady Anne Hill.

He was educated at Eton College and graduated as M.A at Cambridge.

## Career

Cranbrook was elected to the office of Parliamentary Private Secretary in 1927 and retained the position until 1928, to the First Commissioner of Works. In addition to this, he was Alderman of the London County Council between 1928 and 1933. He was a trustee of the British Museum between 1964 and 1973.

## Family

Cranbrook married firstly, his cousin, Bridget Cicely Carte, daughter of Rupert D'Oyly Carte and Lady Dorothy Gathorne-Hardy (daughter of the 2nd Earl of Cranbrook), on 7 October 1926. The pair divorced in 1931. He married secondly, Fidelity Seebohm, daughter of Hugh Exton Seebohm JP of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, with whom he had 5 children:

* Dr. Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook (born 5 June 1933), a zoologist based in Malaya who succeeded
* Lady Juliet Gathorne-Hardy (born 12 December 1934), married Charles Simpson
* Lady Catherine Sophia Gathorne-Hardy (born 11 March 1936), married Simon Meade, scion of the Earl of Clanwilliam
* Lady Christina Gathorne-Hardy (born 1 May 1940)
* Hon. Hugh Gathorne-Hardy (born 30 December 1941), married Caroline Ritchie, daughter of Flt-Lt. William Ritchie and Sibylla Baronin von Hirschberg
