Bram Goldsmith (February 22, 1923 – February 28, 2016) was an American real estate developer, banker and philanthropist. He served as the chief executive officer of City National Bank from 1975 to 1995, and as its chairman from 1975 to 2013. He became known as the "banker to the stars". He was a major philanthropist in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

Early life

Bram Goldsmith was born in 1923 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, where he grew up.E. Scott Reckard
Banker to the stars
''Los Angeles Times'', August 05, 2012 His father was Max Goldsmith and his mother, Bertha. Goldsmith graduated from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

, where he studied finance and business administration.City National Bank: Company Overview
Bloomberg BusinessWeek
/ref> After graduation, he served in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

for three and a half years, spending eighteen months in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Career

Goldsmith served as president and chief executive officer of the Buckeye Realty and Management Corporation and the Buckeye Construction Company for twenty-five years.E. Scott Reckard
City National's longtime chairman, Bram Goldsmith, steps down
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', September 30, 2013 It was the largest privately owned real estate development company in California at the time. It built over thirty office towers in

. The loans for their construction were secured through the City National Bank. Goldsmith was elected to the board of directors of City National Bank in 1964, when Alfred S. Hart was chairman and

Benjamin N. Maltz Benjamin N. Maltz (1901–1993) was an American banker and philanthropist. He was the first Chairman of the City National Bank (). Early life Benjamin N. Maltz was born in 1901 in Chicago, Illinois.John M. BroderBram Goldsmith: Maverick Banker to ...

(1901–1993), president. He served as its chief executive officer for twenty years, from 1975 to 1995, and as its chairman from 1975 to 2013.Banker Bram Goldsmith handles Hollywood's elite
''

Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Dai ...

'', December 29, 1985John M. Broder
Bram Goldsmith: Maverick Banker to Stars : City National Chief Is a Top Deal-Maker and Industry's Best Paid
''Los Angeles Times'', July 21, 1985 During his tenure, the bank's assets went from $600 million to $3.3 billion. He served as its chairman emeritus and Board until his death.John L. Seitz
Bram Goldsmith Steps Down From Chairmanship
, '' Beverly Hills Courier'', October 3, 2013 He was sometimes referred to as the "banker to the stars," as the bank's clients under his included celebrities such as;

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the List of awards and nominations received by Robert Redford, recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award from four nomi ...

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

and

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

. In 1984, he was the highest paid banker in the United States with US$3.1 million, more than the salaries of the CEOs of

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

Citibank Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...

and Chase Manhattan combined. Goldsmith served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 1981 to 1987. He also served on the board of directors of Wynn Resorts.

Philanthropy

Goldsmith chaired the Los Angeles United Jewish Fund Campaign of 1965. He served as president of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles in 1969 and 1970. He also served as national chairman of the

United Jewish Appeal The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Cou ...

from 1970 to 1974. Additionally, he served as Los Angeles Chairman and national Board member of the

National Conference of Christians and Jews The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

. Goldsmith served as president of the Hillcrest Country Club from 1972 to 1975. He also served on the board of trustees of the

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

from 1979 to 1999. From 1977 until his death in 2016, he served on the board of trustees of the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

. He was also chairman of the board of Region IV of the United Way and a member of its Central Board. Additionally, he served as the Founding Chairman of the

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is a community arts center in Beverly Hills, California, named for philanthropist Wallis Annenberg in recognition for The Annenberg Foundation's major gift to fund the campus. It is colloquially k ...

, until February 2013. Therein the 500-seat Goldsmith Theater is named in his honor.

Personal life

Goldsmith was married to Elaine Maltz, a sculptor and the daughter of

, the President of City National Bank. They resided above Sunset Boulevard in

and had a secondary residence in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

. Their youngest son, Russell Goldsmith, serves as chairman and chief executive officer of City National Bank. Their other son Bruce Goldsmith is a published novelist, playwright and screenwriter.

Death and legacy

Goldsmith died on February 28, 2016, at the age of 93. The city of Beverly Hills named Bram Goldsmith Way in his honor on November 7, 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsmith, Bram 1923 births 2016 deaths Businesspeople from Chicago Businesspeople from Los Angeles People from Beverly Hills, California People from Newport Beach, California University of Illinois alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American chief executives Jewish American bankers American philanthropists Philanthropists from California Philanthropists from Illinois American real estate businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century American Jews