Raymond Bonham Carter

Raymond Henry Bonham Carter was born on 19 June 1929 in Paddington, London. He was a member of the Bonham Carter family, a prominent British family with significant contributions to public life. His father was Sir Maurice Bonham-Carter, a politician and cricketer, and his mother was Lady Violet Asquith, a political activist. Lady Violet Asquith was created Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury in 1964. Her father, H. H. Asquith, served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916 and was made the 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith in 1925.

Raymond Bonham Carter had several siblings, including Cressida Ridley, Laura Grimond, and Mark Bonham Carter, Baron Bonham-Carter. His education included attending St. Ronan's School in Hawkhurst, Winchester College, and Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, where he graduated in 1952. He further pursued studies at Harvard University.

Professionally, Bonham Carter held various senior positions throughout his career. He was employed at the Bank of England from 1958 to 1963, then worked with the International Monetary Fund between 1961 and 1963. Subsequently, he was associated with Warburgs from 1963 to 1977 and served in the Department of Industry from 1977 to 1979.

In 1958, Raymond Bonham Carter married Elena Propper de Callejón. She was the daughter of Eduardo Propper de Callejón, a Spanish diplomat, and Hélène Roberte Fould-Springer, a Franco-Austrian Jewish woman. The couple had three children: Edward Henry Bonham Carter, born on 24 May 1960, who became Vice Chairman of Jupiter Fund Management; Thomas David Bonham Carter, born on 8 December 1961, who manages a corporate governance agency; and Helena Bonham Carter, born on 26 May 1966, an actress who has received two Academy Award nominations.

In 1979, Raymond Bonham Carter was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was surgically removed; however, the condition resulted in quadriplegia and partial blindness. He passed away on 17 January 2004.