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Stuart  WHEELER

 

 Stuart Wheeler è nato nel 1935 ad Harrow in un ospedale nel Nord Est di Londra ed è un uomo politico ed un imprenditore inglese di grande successo che iniziò la sua strepitosa avventura nel mondo con un adozione alla nascita.

 Wheeler, che ha studiato a Eton ed ha servito nella Guardia Gallese prima di laurearsi a Oxford, ha fatto la sua fortuna fondando la IG Index nel 1974 ma è forse meglio conosciuto come maggiore sostenitore e sponsor politico dei Thories inglesi.

 Avvocato, prima che banchiere, inizialmente fondò la IG Index per consentire agli inglesi di speculare sulle quotazioni dell'oro.

 Nel 2008 ha venduto le sue quote nella IG ed è divenuto uno degli uomini più ricchi d'Inghilterra con un patrimonio personale stimato in oltre 40 M£.

 Vive con la splendida famiglia nel Kent, dove ha acquistato e restaurato il favoloso Chilham Castle. La moglie Tessa Codrington è un'apprezzata fotografa e una delle tre figlie: Jacquetta è una famosa top model.

Nel 2011 è divenuto il tesoriere dello United Kingdom Independce Party con il compito di raccogliere fondi in preparazione delle elezioni del 2014.

Wheeler, che è anche un appasionato giocatore  di Poker che partecipa a tutti i Campionati Mondiali, ha ereditato dalla madre naturale Chrissie Cleland, che era un insegnante ed una giocatrice di bridge,  la passione per lo sport della mente al quale sta dedicando molto del suo tempo dopo il ritiro dagli affari.

In passato aveva giocato a Bridge con Omar Sharif e con Lord Lucan.

Stuart Wheeler (born 1935) is a British businessman and politician. He made his fortune as the founder of the spread betting firm IG Index in 1974, but is best known for his political activism, being formerly a major donor to the Conservative Party and since 2011, has been treasurer of the United Kingdom Independence Party.

Wheeler was educated at Eton College. He did his National Service with the Welsh Guards, before studying at Oxford, from where he graduated with a second-class degree in law.

He practised law as a barrister, before becoming an investment banker. However, Wheeler found his niche through IG Index, which pioneered spread betting. Originally, the company was launched to allow Britons to speculate on gold, when foreign exchange controls made it exorbitantly expensive to actually buy it.

By 2008 sales of his shares in IG Index has made Wheeler one of the 2,000 wealthiest people in the United Kingdom according to the Sunday Times Rich List, with a fortune of £40m.

Although he is a new entrant on the list, Wheeler had previously publicly stated his worth as being £90m. As part of his retreat from business, Wheeler spent £7.3m, windfall from the sale of his third tranche of shares in IG Group, on buying the Grade I listed Jacobean Chilham Castle, in Kent.

He subsequently sold the rest of his shares, due in part to the cost of renovating the castle.

In 2011 Wheeler was appointed treasurer of UKIP to spearhead fundraising in advance of the 2014 European elections. His appointment was seen as a blow for the Conservatives because of his network of contacts.

Party leader Nigel Farage said the move would enable the party to "raise serious money" as a lack of funds was "holding them back"

Wheeler has been called an 'obsessive' gambler, taking a keen interest in card and risk games and having played bridge with Lord Lucan two days before his disappearance, and with Omar Sharif, as well as being a regular competitor in the World Poker Championship.

He is married to the photographer Tessa Codrington, by whom he has three daughters, including model Jacquetta Wheeler.

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