Leonard Steinberg, Baron Steinberg
Northern Irish businessman (1936-2009)
Leonard Steinberg, Baron Steinberg (1 August 1936 – 2 November 2009) was a British life peer and multi-millionaire businessman.
Born in Belfast on 1 August 1936, he was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. Steinberg was the founder and Non-Executive chairman of Stanley Leisure. The business was founded in Belfast in 1958, but Steinberg moved to Liverpool in 1977 when he refused to pay protection money to either republican or loyalist paramilitaries, and after he was shot on 23 February 1977 by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The Irish Times reported the next day that, "The attacks are believed to be part a campaign against leading figures in the North’s commercial life launched late last year by the Provisional IRA." Despite his move to England, he continued to describe himself thus: "I am Jewish, Northern Irish, and an Ulster Unionist"
Since 2005, Stanley Leisure has seen changes of ownership, with William Hill buying the bookmaking operations and the Genting Group buying the casino operation. Steinberg sold a large number of his shares in 2004, but retained 11.3% of the company's stake. His personal fortune was estimated as being some £108 million in 2005. He was also the founder and chairman of trustees of the Steinberg Family Charitable Trust.
Steinberg, who then lived in Hale, was made a Conservative Party life peer on 23 June 2004 with the title Baron Steinberg, of Belfast in the County of Antrim, and had made contributions to the Conservative Party.
The Northern Ireland Friends of Israel group was launched with Steinberg as president in March 2009.
“Leonard Steinberg, Baron Steinberg” enters the record as northern Irish businessman (1936-2009). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Leonard, Steinberg and Baron can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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