George William Coventry, 11th Earl of Coventry

The Right Honourable The Earl of Coventry
Earl of Coventry
In office 1940–2002
Preceded by	George Coventry
Succeeded by	Francis Coventry
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 21 March 1956 – 11 November 1999 Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by	10th Earl of Coventry
Succeeded by	seat abolished (House of Lords Act 1999)
Personal details
Born	(1934-01-25)25 January 1934 London, England
Died	14 June 2002(2002-06-14) (aged 68)
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Marie Medhart ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1963)​ Ann Cripps ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1975)​ Valerie Ann Birch ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1988)​ Rachel Wynne Mason ​ ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	Edward Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst
Parent(s)	George Coventry, 10th Earl of Coventry Nesta Donne Philips
Alma mater	Stowe School Eton College

George William Coventry, 11th Earl of Coventry (25 January 1934 – 14 June 2002) was a British hereditary peer and politician of the Conservative Party.

Life and career

Coventry was the fourth child and only son of George Coventry, 10th Earl of Coventry and Nesta Donne Philips. He inherited the title Earl of Coventry at the age of six, when his father was killed in action during the Battle of Wytschaete on 27 May 1940.

He attended Ludgrove School in Berkshire, Stowe School in Buckinghamshire and Eton College. He attended The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Grenedier Guards in 1954. On 21 March 1956 he took his seat in the House of Lords. He worked as stock broker, fashion designer, merchant and director of an oil company. He supported John Major, after joining the Conservative Party in the 1990s. He lost his seat in the House of Lords by the House of Lords Act 1999 and did not compete for one of the remaining seats.

Family

Graves of the 11th Earl of Coventry and of Charles Coventry (1867–1929), at St Nicholas' Church, Earls Croome

Coventry was married four times:

• He married Marie Medhart on 22 March 1955, the daughter of William Medhart. The couple divorced in 1963.
• He married Ann Cripps on 5 December 1969 and divorced in 1975.
• He married Valerie Ann Birch on 29 November 1980 and divorced in 1988.
• Finally, he married Rachel Wynne Mason on 4 July 1992.

He died in June 2002 at the age of 68 years. The title was inherited by his 89-year-old cousin Francis Coventry, 12th Earl of Coventry (1912–2004), because his son of the first marriage Edward Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst had previously died in 1997.