BEDFORD, JOHN ROBERT RUSSELL, 13TH DUKE OF

born May 24, 1917 elder son of the 12th duke (Hastings William Sackville Russell), succeeding to the title in 1953. Faced with paying heavy death duties on his father's estate, including Woburn Abbey, the 13th duke developed to the full the commercial possibilities inherent in opening a "stately home" to the public-adding to the show of magnificent collections of furniture and art treasures a number of popular attractions on the grounds, including the Wild Animal Kingdom, administered by a famous circus family, the Chipperfields. He showed himself to be a resourceful publicist, and both he and Woburn Abbey became well known to the British public and to foreign tourists. He wrote A Silver-Plated Spoon (1959), Book of Snobs (with G. Mikes; 1965), The Flying Duchess (1968), and How To Run a Stately Home (with G. Mikes; 1971).