Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet, Date of Birth, Date of Death

Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet

Date of Birth: 20-Jul-1848

Date of Death: 20-May-1930

Profession: military personnel

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Alexander Gordon Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet (20 July 1848 – 20 May 1930) was a Scottish landowner, soldier, adventurer and socialite.
A notorious womaniser, he is best known for being the central figure in the royal baccarat scandal of 1891.
After inheriting a baronetcy he joined the Army and saw service in South Africa, Egypt and the Sudan; he served with distinction and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
Something of an adventurer, he also spent time hunting in the US and India. A friend of Edward, Prince of Wales for over 20 years, in 1891 he attended a house party at Tranby Croft, Yorkshire, where he took part in a game of baccarat at the behest of the prince.
During the course of two nights' play he was accused of cheating, which he denied vehemently.
After news of the affair leaked out, he sued five members of the host family for slander; the Prince of Wales was called as a witness.
The case was a public spectacle, widely reported in the UK and abroad, but the judgement went against Gordon-Cumming and he was ostracised from polite society. A handsome, arrogant man, Gordon-Cumming was a womaniser, particularly with married women.
After the court case he married an American heiress; the couple had five children, but it was an unhappy relationship.
He was the grandfather of the writers Katie Fforde and Jane Gordon-Cumming.



Alternative names	Singe, Ape
Description	Italian artist and caricaturist
Date of birth/death	25 March 1839	22 January 1889
Location of birth/death	Capua	London
Work location	London
Authority control	: Q935877 VIAF: 91408204 ISNI: 0000 0001 1684 9584 ULAN: 500106277 LCCN: n94116782 NLA: 35070756 WorldCat