Nationality British Occupation Merchant banker | Spouse(s) Lady Nina Franklin Name Roland Franklin | |
Full Name Roland Arthur Ellis Franklin Parent(s) Ellis Arthur FranklinMuriel Frances Waley | ||
Sir Roland Arthur Ellis Franklin (born 1926) is a British-born Antigua and Barbuda-based merchant banker.
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Early life
Roland Franklin was born in 1926. His father, Ellis Arthur Franklin (1894–1964), was a merchant banker. His sister was Rosalind Franklin, a scientist whose research led to discovery of the structure of DNA. His brother is the bibliographer Colin Ellis Franklin.
Banking career
Franklin is a merchant banker, and a former director of Keyser Ullman, the British merchant bank that failed in the 1973-74 banking crisis. He had a long business partnership with the corporate raider James Goldsmith.
Defence of Israel
In June 2015, Franklin published an opinion piece in j., a Northern California Jewish newspaper, arguing that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, would be "the first step on the path to World War III." He went on to compare U.S. President Barack Obama to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain prior to World War II, suggesting, "Obama is betraying Israel.". He concluded that Iran "should be treated as an extremely dangerous pariah."
Personal life
Franklin is married to Lady Nina Franklin. They reside in Jumby Bay, a private island off the coast of Antigua. Their son Martin E. Franklin is the co-founder and chairman of Jarden.