Trebitsch-Lincoln, and the Rowntree connection

The colourful character Ignaz Trebitsch-Lincoln (1879-1943) was a Hungarian Jewish adventurer who spent his life variously as a Protestant missionary, Anglican priest, British Member of Parliament, convicted fraudster, German right-wing politician and spy, and Buddhist abbot in China.

His link with the Rowntree family was as one of Seebohm’s most gifted and favoured researchers and private secretary in the early 1900s. Indeed, he caused embarrassment when he attempted to send some of his research findings back to York via a diplomatic bag from Paris. With Seebohm’s support he became Liberal MP for Darlington. Their relations soured and came to an end when Seebohm and his father realised they were being taken advantage of, financially.