E. de Rothschild | Ex-bank chairman, 93

Edmund de Rothschild, 93, a former chairman of the N.M. Rothschild & Sons merchant bank and a noted horticulturist, died Jan. 17 at his home in Hampshire, England.

He joined the family bank in London in 1939 and directed its operations after an uncle, Anthony, suffered a stroke in 1955. He was named senior partner in 1960 and elevated to chairman in 1970. Mr. de Rothschild oversaw the family firm's evolution to a modern institution, ending its private-partnership status in 1970. He served as chairman until 1975.

He was closely involved in postwar reconstruction in Japan, and took a personal role in raising money for a large hydroelectric power station at Churchill Falls, Canada. - AP