St. Joseph High School (Metuchen, New Jersey) and Gottfried von Bismarck: Difference between pages
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{{Infobox_Person | name = Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen
| other_names = ''Count Gottfried von Bismarck''
| birth_date = {{birth date|1962|9|19}}
| death_date ={{death date and age|2007|7|1|1962|9|19}}
| death_place = [[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom|UK]] {{flagicon|UK}}
| birth_place = [[Uccle]], [[Belgium]] {{flagicon|Belgium}}
| title = [[Count]] of Bismarck-Schönhausen
}}
'''Gottfried Alexander Leopold Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen''' ([[19 September]] [[1962]] – [[1 July]] [[2007]]) was a controversial [[Germany|German]] aristocrat and socialite. <ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/columnists.html?in_article_id=465791&in_page_id=1772&in_author_id=230 The Daily Mail]</ref>
==Family==
Born in [[Uccle]], [[Belgium]]<ref name="worldroots">[http://worldroots.com/brigitte/famous/h/herbordbismarckdesc1280-13.htm Worldroots] genealogy page.</ref>, Count Gottfried was the second son of Ferdinand Fürst von Bismarck and grandson of Otto Fürst von Bismarck, a former diplomat at Germany's embassy to the UK in London until a feud with [[Third Reich]] foreign secretary [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]]. Count Gottfried is the great-great-grandson of ''the famous'' Chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck]]. Count Gottfried's [[Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen|great-uncle and namesake]] was a Nazi official who allegedly became part of the famous plot to assassinate [[Adolf Hitler]]. His younger sister is an American public relations agent, Vanessa von Bismarck, who was born on [[26 March]] [[1971]] in [[Hamburg, Germany]], his older brother [[Carl-Eduard von Bismarck|Carl-Eduard]] "Calle" is German MP and will become future chief of the house.<ref>Bruin, Hein: [http://www.angelfire.com/in/heinbruins/Bismarck.html Bismarck Genealogy source]</ref><ref name="worldroots"/>
== Titles and Style ==
The branch of the Bismarck family that derives from the former German Chancellor holds supplementary surnames (formerly titles) of Count/Countess with the head of the family being addressed [[Fürst]], frequently but incorrectly translated to Prince and styled as [[Durchlaucht]]. When [[Otto von Bismarck]] resigned as German [[Chancellor#Germany|Chancellor]], he was presented the additional title of [[Duke]] of Lauenburg. This particular branch of the Bismarck clan is surnamed Bismarck-Schönhausen, however the media tend to shorten this to simply ''Bismarck'', without any distinction from other branches.
==
Count Gottfried grew up primarily in his family's ancestral estate near [[Hamburg]]. He attended school in [[Germany]] and [[Switzerland]] and had a brief internship at the [[New York Stock Exchange]] before enrolling at [[Christ Church College]], [[Oxford University]], where he studied [[Philosophy, Politics and Economics|PPE]] (eventually gaining a third class honours degree<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/04/db0402.xml Daily Telegraph Obituary]</ref>), and was a member of the [[Piers Gaveston Society]] and the [[Bullingdon Club]]<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/04/db0402.xml Daily Telegraph Obituary]</ref>, alongside friends like [[Darius Guppy]]. Confessing that he did not enjoy the typical social life in Oxford, he and his friends would escape to the more wild, fashionable parties in [[London]] on the weekends or whenever possible. He reportedly drank heavily at night and took [[amphetamines]] by day to concentrate on his studies.<ref name="Times">(27 August 2006) "The Curse of the Count" [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2330658,00.html Sunday Times]</ref>
== Tragedy at Oxford ==
The tragic death of heiress Olivia Channon (in the count's room) would disrupt his life totally.<ref name="Times"/> Olivia was the daughter of [[Paul Channon]] and granddaughter of the famous diarist [[Chips Channon]]. She was found dead from a [[heroin]] overdose in the count's rooms at Christ Church in 1986. The count was charged with drug possession. He was fined 80 [[GBP]] but the shadow of Olivia's death would always haunt him. He was said to "cry like a baby" at her funeral.<ref name="Times"/> His father, Prince Ferdinand, recalled him to Germany for treatment at a private clinic, it was said he left Oxford so quickly that a family servant had to settle his bills with public houses, tailors and restaurants<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/04/db0402.xml Daily Telegraph Obituary]</ref>.
== Career ==
Subsequent to his finishing his studies at a German university, where he wrote a doctoral thesis on the [[East Germany|East German]] telephone system <ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/04/db0402.xml Daily Telegraph Obituary]</ref>, he visited the family estate at Schönhausen, that was lost under communist ruling in East Germany. This was a powerful personal experience for him facing the course of history. Later, after having spent some time in Los Angeles, he went to work as a business executive for Telemonde (owned by [[Kevin Maxwell]]) trying to raise capital from the stock-market, but the company went [[bankrupt]] and collapsed by [[2002]]. He returned to London soon after and became a promoter of holidays in [[Uzbekistan]]. He was employed by AIM Partners at the time of his death<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/04/db0402.xml Daily Telegraph Obituary]</ref>.
== Later life ==
In August 2006, Anthony Casey, 41, fell the 60 feet from the count's [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]] flat and died. The count was not arrested and the police said there were no drugs found in his flat. Nevertheless, this incident re-awakened the so-called "curse" from the past, and triggered speculation from the [[tabloid]] press. Stories included an article from London's [[Daily Mail]] that claims the incident was fueled by a [[cocaine]]-fueled [[homosexuality|homosexual]] [[orgy]] involving several individuals.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=408751&in_page_id=1770 Daily Mail, 5 October 2005]</ref> The [[coroner]]'s report had found no [[alcohol]] levels in Casey's body, but did discover a significant amount of [[cocaine]]. The accusation of a 'gay orgy' was officially denied by Count Gottfried, though the coroner, Dr. Paul Knapman, told [[The Guardian]] that a great deal of sexual [[paraphernalia]] was discovered in the flat, including sex toys, lubricant, and a rubber [[tarpaulin]].<ref>Attewill, Fred (6 October 2006) "Fatal fall after 'gay orgy' was misadventure." [http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,,1888777,00.html The Guardian]</ref> "In common parlance, in the early hours of the morning, there was a gay orgy going on," Dr. Knapman told the newspaper "Nevertheless, this was conducted by consenting males in private."
==Death==
On [[1 July]] [[2007]] Count Gottfried von Bismarck was found dead in the £5 million Chelsea flat that he was in the process of selling, surrounded by drug paraphernalia. The suspected cause of death is heroin overdose.
==External links==
*[http://worldofwonder.net/image1/bismarck240806228x499-1.jpg A photograph of Count Gottfried]
== Footnotes ==
<references/>
== See also ==
* [[Gottfried Graf von Bismarck-Schönhausen]]
* [[Otto von Bismarck]]
* [[Mona von Bismarck]]
* [[Carl-Eduard von Bismarck]]
* [[Piers Gaveston Society]]
[[Category:1962 births|Gottfried von Bismarck, Count]]
[[Category:2007 deaths|Gottfried von Bismarck, Count]]
[[Category:Bismarck family|Gottfried von Bismarck, Count]]
[[Category:Counts of Germany|Gottfried von Bismarck, Count]]
[[Category:German nobility|Gottfried von Bismarck, Count]]
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