Robert Holmes à Court
| Robert Holmes à Court | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michael Robert Hamilton Holmes à Court 27 July 1937 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Died | 2 September 1990 (aged 53) Heytesbury Stud, Keysbrook, Western Australia, Australia |
| Cause of death | heart attack |
| Residence | Perth, Western Australia |
| Education | BAgrSci, LLB |
| Alma mater |
Cordwalles Preparatory School Michaelhouse University of Auckland Massey Agricultural College University of Western Australia |
| Occupation | |
| Years active |
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| Organization |
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| Known for | Australia's first billionaire |
| Home town | Perth, Western Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Janet Lee Ranford (18 May 1966-his death) |
| Children |
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| Parent(s) |
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| Notes | |
Michael Robert Hamilton Holmes à Court (27 July 1937 – 2 September 1990) was a grand nephew of William Frederick Holmes à Court, 3rd Baron Heytesbury and 2nd great grandson of William Henry Holmes à Court, 2nd Baron Heytesbury, and was a South African-born Australian entrepreneur who became the country's first billionaire, before dying suddenly of a heart attack in 1990 at the age of 53.
Holmes à Court was one of the world's most feared corporate raiders through the 1980s, having built his empire single-handedly from virtually nothing to a diversified resources and media group with an estimated worth prior to the 1987 stockmarket crash of about A$2 billion. Shareholders in the company that became his flagship, 'Bell Resources', enjoyed enormous investment growth.
1984 saw Robert Holmes à Court's owned horse Black Knight, win the Melbourne Cup with a time 3:18:19.
Holmes à Court died intestate and his estate was to be divided one third for his widow Janet (née Ranford), and the remainder equally among their four children.
Holmes à Court was born in Johannesburg but spent much of his early life in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He was educated at Cordwalles Preparatory School and Michaelhouse School in Natal, South Africa. There he earned money selling his schoolmates photographs he had taken of them, and by driving them home in exchange for their travel allowances.
Holmes à Court studied forestry at the University of Auckland and Massey University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science in 1962. He then moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1961 to study law at the University of Western Australia, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1965. He married science teacher Janet Ranford on 18 May 1966. Holmes à Court was admitted to practise on 17 April 1968. He then worked as a barrister and solicitor. His law practice in Perth was sometimes in partnership with Nicholas Hasluck.
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