George Soloveytchik was born on 14 Marc 1902 in Petrograd and lived in Russia until 1919 when he came to England with his mother after the death of his father. They lived in Kensington Gate, London. In October 1919 he entered Queen's College, Oxford to read Modern History and he graduated with a BA in Jun 1922.
The records of Queen's College, Oxford provide some additional personal details. He was educated at St Catherine's School and the Reformed School in Petrograd. His family was Jewish and the Provost's Entrance Book describes him as a "very secular Jew". His father and grandfather, who were involved in social reform and politics, owned a large bank in Russia which was nationalised by the Bolsheviks.
According to the Queen"s College Register of 1937, he was living at 12 Cavendish Mansions, Langham Street, London and had been employed as head of the Finance Department of Messrs Spurling, Skinner, Tudor and Co. He was still living at that address in 1950 but the Register of 1957 prints his name in an appendix, indicating that his address was unknown and that he had possibly died.
Reference: Much of the above biographical information was supplied by the Keeper of the Archives, Queen"s College, Oxford
He wrote a number of books, including The Financier. The life of Ivar Kreuger (Peter Davies, London, 1933); Leu & Co. 1755-1955. Two centuries of history in the life of a Swiss bank (Zurich, 1955); Peace and Chaos? (MacDonald & Co., London, 1944; new edition, Percival Marshall, London, 1949); Potemkin. A picture of Catherine's Russia (Thornton Butterworth, London, 1938); Russia in Perspective (MacDonald & Co., London, 1946); Switzerland in Perspective (London, Oxford University Press, 1954)
Reference: University of Birmingham, Special Collections Department, Online Archive Catalogue (http://calm.bham.ac.uk/DServeA/). Accessed May 2002.
From the guide to the White Russian printed literature, 1911-1921, (University of Birmingham Information Services, Special Collections Department)
