Edgar Vincent

Edgar Vincent (13 March 1918, Hamburg — 26 June 2008, New York City) was an American publicist and actor of German birth. He began his career appearing in small roles in Hollywood films during the 1940s but his German accent prevented him from moving further with his career. In 1949 he joined a New York publishing firm with his first client being the opera singer Ezio Pinza. He went on to specialize in being a publicist for opera singers, helping shape and forward the careers of major stars like Lily Pons, Anna Moffo, Eleanor Steber, Jussi Björling, George London, Leonard Warren, Mirella Freni, Shirley Verrett, Cecilia Bartoli, Dolora Zajick, Dorothy Kirsten, Eileen Farrell, Birgit Nilsson, Rise Stevens and Salvatore Licitra. He had a particularly close friendship and relationship with the late Beverly Sills and was also a close friend and adviser to Plácido Domingo in addition to being his publicist. Vincent also worked for Mikhail Baryshnikov and a handful of musicians other than opera singers, including conductors Erich Leinsdorf, Leopold Stokowski and Georg Solti; the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich; and the violinist Isaac Stern. He also worked frequently with his colleague, fellow publicist Margaret Carson.

Viscount D'Abernon

Viscount D'Abernon, of Esher and of Stoke d'Abernon in the County of Surrey, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 February 1926 for the politician, diplomat and writer Edgar Vincent, 1st Baron D'Abernon who had been created Baron D'Abernon, of Esher in the County of Surrey, on 2 July 1914. In 1936 he succeeded his elder brother as sixteenth Baronet, of Stoke d'Abernon. All three titles became extinct on his death in 1941.

The Vincent Baronetcy, of Stoke d'Abernon in the County of Surrey, was created in the Baronetage of England on 26 July 1620 for Francis Vincent.

Election of six of the baronets as MP

The first Baronet was elected after receipt of his title to represent Surrey in the House of Commons. The third Baronet sat as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dover, the fifth and seventh Baronets for Surrey, the sixth Baronet for Guildford and the tenth Baronet for St Albans. A baronetcy is an old title short of a UK peerage (that enables peers to sit in the House of Lords) but instead carries with it the style of 'Sir'.

Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon

Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon GCB GCMG PC FRS (19 August 1857 – 1 November 1941) was a British politician, diplomat, art collector and author.

Early life

Vincent was the youngest son of Sir Frederick Vincent, 11th Baronet, of Stoke D'Abernon (1798–1883) and his second wife, Maria Copley (d. 1899). He was born at Slinfold, West Sussex and educated at Eton College for the diplomatic service. Instead, he spent five years as a member of the Coldstream Guards before coming into the service as secretary to Lord Edmond FitzMaurice, Queen's Commissioner on the East Rumelian Question. He was himself appointed Commissioner for the Evacuation of Thessaly (ceded to Greece by Turkey) and advised the Egyptian government on financial matters from 1883 to 1889.

Ottoman Bank crash

That year he became governor of the Imperial Ottoman Bank. One of his policies was to get the Bank involved in South African mining shares on European stock exchanges. This caused a speculation craze in Constantinople where tens of thousands of people bought South African mining shares, a lot of them with money loaned from the Ottoman Bank. This led to a run on the Bank in late 1895 and then a crash in the share values, followed by an international panic and the financial ruin of many of those who invested in the shares. Vincent was heavily condemned for his role in the disaster, though he personally made a fortune from the shares.