Background
Cunliffe-Owen was born in Kensington, London, the younger son of Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen, director of the South Kensington Museum.
Cunliffe-Owen was born in Kensington, London, the younger son of Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen, director of the South Kensington Museum.
He was educated at Brighton College and then Clifton College.
Cunliffe-Owen articled as a civil engineer with Sir John Wolfe-Barry. He first went into business in Bristol. He became a director of the British-American Tobacco Company on its formation in 1902, later becoming vice-chairman, and chairman from 1923 until his retirement in 1945.
Foreign the last two years of his life, he was president of the company.
He was chairman of Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft Limited until his death in 1947. He was also associated with British and Foreign Aviation Limited, a company with a nominal capital of £250,000. its stated objects were to acquire not less than 90 per cent of the issued share capital of Olley Air Service Limited and Air Commerce Limited and to make agreements between Olley Air Service Limited, Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen, and others to operate air services and aerodromes and manufacture, deal in, and repair aircraft.
Associated companies included West Coast Air Services Limited and Isle of Manitoba Air Services. Cunliffe-Owen worked for the Ministry of Information during the First World War, and for this he was created a baronet in the 1920 New Year Honours.
Cunliffe-Owen lived at Sunningdale Park in Berkshire.
She died in 1934, and the following year Cunliffe-Owen remarried, to Mauricia Martha Shaw of California. They were legally separated in 1946. Cunliffe-Owen was a prominent supporter of Thoroughbred horse racing.