Robert Maxwell

Ian Robert Maxwell MC (10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovakian -born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament (MP), who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire built upon fraud.

Ian Robert Maxwell , MC (10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovakian -born British media proprietor and Member of Parliament (MP). He rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire. After Maxwell's death, huge discrepancies in his companies' finances were revealed, including his fraudulent misappropriation of the Mirror Group pension fund. Early in his life, he escaped from Nazi occupation , joining the Czechoslovak Army in exile in World War II and was decorated after active service in the British Army . In subsequent years he worked in publishing, building up Pergamon Press to a major publishing house. After six years as an MP during the 1960s, he again put all his energy into business, successively buying the British Printing Corporation , Mirror Group Newspapers and Macmillan, Inc , among other publishing companies. Maxwell had a flamboyant lifestyle, living in Headington Hill Hall in Oxford from which he often flew in his helicopter, and sailing in his luxury yacht, the Lady Ghislaine . He was notably litigious and often embroiled in controversy, including about his support for Israel at the time of its 1948 Palestine war . In 1989, he had to sell successful businesses including Pergamon Press to cover some of his debts. In 1991, his body was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean having fallen overboard from his yacht. He was buried in Israel. Maxwell's death triggered the collapse of his publishing empire as banks called in loans. His sons briefly struggled to keep the business together, but failed as the news emerged that Maxwell had stolen hundreds of millions of pounds from his own companies' pension funds. The Maxwell companies applied for bankruptcy protection in 1992.

Originally from Czechoslovakia , Maxwell rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire. After his death, huge discrepancies in his companies' finances were revealed, including his fraudulent misappropriation of the Mirror Group pension fund . Early in his life, Maxwell, an Orthodox Jew , escaped from Nazi occupation , joined the Czechoslovak Army in exile in World War II and was decorated after active service in the British Army . In subsequent years he worked in publishing, building up Pergamon Press to a major publishing house. After six years as an MP during the 1960s, Maxwell again put all his energy into business, successively buying the British Printing Corporation , Mirror Group Newspapers and Macmillan Publishers , among other publishing companies. Maxwell had a flamboyant lifestyle, living in Headington Hill Hall in Oxford , from which he often flew in his helicopter, and sailed in his luxury yacht, the Lady Ghislaine . He was litigious and often embroiled in controversy, including with regard to his support for Israel at the time of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . In 1989, Maxwell had to sell successful businesses, including Pergamon Press, to cover some of his debts. In 1991, his body was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean , having fallen overboard from his yacht. He was buried in Jerusalem . Maxwell's death triggered the collapse of his publishing empire as banks called in loans. His sons briefly attempted to keep the business together, but failed as the news emerged that the elder Maxwell had stolen hundreds of millions of pounds from his own companies' pension funds.

Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, fraudster, and MP (1923–1991) For other people named Robert Maxwell, see Robert Maxwell (disambiguation) . Ian Robert Maxwell MC (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch ; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor , member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster . Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from Nazi occupation in his native country, joined the Czechoslovak Army in exile during World War II and was decorated after active service in the British Army . In subsequent years he worked in publishing, building up Pergamon Press to a major academic publisher. After six years as a Labour MP during the 1960s, Maxwell again put all his energy into business, successively buying the British Printing Corporation , Mirror Group Newspapers and Macmillan Publishers , among other publishing companies. Maxwell led a flamboyant lifestyle, living in Headington Hill Hall in Oxford , from which he often flew in his helicopter, or sailing in his luxury yacht, the Lady Ghislaine . He was litigious and often embroiled in controversy. In 1989, Maxwell had to sell successful businesses, including Pergamon Press , to cover some of his debts. In 1991, his body was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean, having apparently fallen overboard from his yacht. He was buried in Jerusalem . Maxwell's death triggered the collapse of his publishing empire as banks called in loans. His sons briefly attempted to keep the business together, but failed as the news emerged that the elder Maxwell had stolen hundreds of millions of pounds from his own companies' pension funds. The Maxwell companies applied for bankruptcy protection in 1992. After his death, huge discrepancies in his companies' finances were revealed, including his fraudulent misappropriation of the Mirror Group pension fund .