2,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde(N-benzoyl)glycyl hydrazone, H₃ dhbbgh, has been synthesized and characterized. Rare earth metal complexes of the empirical formulae, [Ln(H₃dhbbgh)₂Cl₂]Cl.nH₂O and [Ln(dhbbgh)(H₂O)₂], where Ln=La(III), Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III), Eu(III), Gd(III), Tb(III), Dy(III) and Y(III) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductances, magnetic susceptibilities, electronic, infrared and NMR spectral studies. Various bonding parameters (β, b^1/2, %δ andη) calculated from the electronic spectra of Pr(III), Nd(III), Sm(III) and Dy(III) complexes suggest a weak covalent bond between the metal and ligand. The theoretical oscillator strengths (P_calcd) and a set of three intensity parameters (T_λ=2,4.6) computed from the Judd-Ofelt equation are found to be in good agreement with experimental values. On the basis of the spectral profiles of the hypersensitive transitions (⁴I_9/2→⁴G_5/2,²G_7/2) in the Nd(III) complexes, coordination numbers ten and six have been proposed for the Ln(III) ions in the adduct and deprotonated complexes respectively.