Peregrine Pollen

Pollen was born to Walter Michael Hungerford Pollen, a steel industrialist, and Rosalind Frances Pollen Benson, the daughter of Robert Henry Benson, a well-known London banker, on 24 January 1931. His grand-uncle was George Holford. He attended Eton College and read modern languages at Christ Church, University of Oxford. Pollen then worked as a Latin teacher, an organist in Australia, warehouse worker in Los Angeles, a gasoline attendant, pantry boy on an ocean liner from London to Las Palmas, aluminium worker in Kitimat, British Columbia, and attendant at a psychiatric hospital. He served his national service in the King's Royal Rifle Corps before becoming an aide-de-camp to the Governor of Kenya, Evelyn Baring, from 1955 to 1957. == Work as auctioneer ==

Pollen first began working for Sotheby's in 1957, rising to become an aide to the company's chairman, Peter Wilson, before he was made the company's first New York City representative in 1960. After the company purchased Parke-Bernet in 1964at the time the largest auction house in America he became the head of Sotheby Parke-Bernet. He expanded it throughout North America, opening facilities in Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo. He also spearheaded the opening of PB 84, a discount store, in New York City in 1968. As an auctioneer, he was known for having a dramatic flair. By 1966, the auction houses' sales were $23.5 million, and $38.5 million by 1970. In 1972, Pollen became vice-chairman of Sotheby's and returned to England. As the largest private shareholder in the company (with five percent), Pollen was considered the likely successor of Wilson as company chairman until the company began losing money which many blamed on over-expansion. When Gordon Brunton was made the chairman after Wilson's retirement, Pollen left the company, retiring in 1982. == Personal life and death ==

In 1958, he married Patricia Helen Barry. They had three children, before divorcing in 1972 and remarrying in 1978. Patricia Barry died in 2016. He lived in Norton Hall, Gloucestershire where he planted between 6,000 and 8,000 trees, and was a trustee of the Westonbirt Arboretum. Pollen died on 18 February 2020. == References ==