Arthur Francis Benjamin Guinness; Chairman of Liquor Company

Arthur Francis Benjamin Guinness, 55, the third Earl of Iveagh, who served as chairman of Guinness P.L.C. during a chaotic period in the history of the British liquor giant. A descendant of Arthur Guinness, the brewer who founded the company in Dublin in 1759, Lord Iveagh, known to his friends as Ben, was chairman from 1962 to 1986 and president until last month, when he left the company. He was credited with reversing the company’s downward spiral when it had become ripe for a takeover. He brought in Ernest W. Saunders from Nestle, the Swiss food conglomerate, and Saunders transformed the stagnating firm by pursuing acquisitions that make Guinness an international power in spirits. Lord Iveagh was the last family member on the board of directors when he retired. In London on Thursday of what company officials said was a throat ailment.