Peter de Savary
Peter John de Savary (11 July 1944 – 30 October 2022) was a British businessman in shipping, oil and property.
De Savary was the son of a French-born Essex farmer,[1] and was educated in Britain at Charterhouse, Godalming, from which he was expelled at the age of 16.
The bank specialised in investing in property, shipping, oil refineries and coal mining in South America.
De Savary built up a large business empire in the 1980s, with property interests including Land's End and John o' Groats.
De Savary saw a niche for the affluent: leisure properties that were small enough to make guests feel as though they were on their own private estate, but equipped with all the facilities of the world's great hotels.
[10] Through his wife Lana's company, Havana West,[11] other similar developments have included: the Cherokee Plantation in South Carolina; Stapleford Park and Bovey Castle, both in England; and Carnegie Abbey in Rhode Island.
[12][13] In late 2009, de Savary purchased a former YMCA located in Newport, RI, that had been converted into Vanderbilt Hall hotel.
Other artists on display included Bradshaw Crandell, Constantin Alajalov, Helen Dryden, John Lagatta, George Hughes, Thomas Webb, Rico Tomaso, Carl Burger and Rolf Armstrong.
De Savary led the British sailing team in its challenge for the America's Cup in 1983 but his contender, Victory 83, was beaten by Australia II in the final heat.
[2] De Savary used the motor yacht Kalizma (formerly home to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during filming in London, named for their children) as a support vessel for the America's Cup races, but has since sold the ship.
[citation needed] De Savary raced for many years in the Bucket Regatta in Newport, Rhode Island, and St Barts in the Caribbean.
In March 2011, de Savary was linked with a deal to purchase the financially stricken League One club Plymouth Argyle F.C.
However, de Savary denied any interest in buying the club, which was eventually purchased by Plymouth City Council the following October.
