David Melville Heyman (August 29, 1891 – January 7, 1984) was an American financier, health services leader, philanthropist, and

art collector A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...

. Heyman founded the

Public Health Research Institute The Public Health Research Institute (PHRI) was founded in 1942 by New York City's mayor, Fiorello La Guardia, who appointed David M. Heyman to lead it as an independent not-for-profit research organization. In the late 1980s it was referred to ...

of the City of New York in 1942 and the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York in 1944, and served as the president of the

New York Foundation The New York Foundation is a charitable foundation which gives grants to non-profit organizations supporting community organizing and advocacy in New York City. History 1909–1919 The New York Foundation was established in 1909 when Louis ...

for thirty years.

Early life and education

David Heyman was born to Simon and Bella Heyman (née Heinsheimer), who is a daughter of Natalie Heinsheimer (née Loeb), sister of financier

Solomon Loeb Solomon Loeb (June 29, 1828 – December 12, 1903) was a German-born American banker and businessman. He was a merchant in textiles and later a banker with Kuhn, Loeb & Co. Biography His father, a devout Jew, had been a small corn- and wine ...

, founder of Kuhn, Loeb & Co. He attended Mohegan Lake Military Academy in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

. In 1909, he went to

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, but transferred later to

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and graduated in 1913.

Career

After graduating from college, he started his career on Wall Street as an office boy earning $5 a week, and joined the board of his family foundation, the

, later serving as its President from 1937 to 1966. Within five years of becoming an office boy, he had advanced to earning $25,000 a year as an investment banker. His career as an investment banker began at Kuhn, Loeb & Co., where his uncle, Louis A. Heinsheimer, was a partner, and finished 35 years later as a partner at Lewisohn & Company. Heyman career was interrupted when he joined the Army as a lieutenant when World War I broke out. In 1942, Heyman founded the

as an independent not-for-profit research organization affiliated with the

New York City Department of Health The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is the department of the government of New York City responsible for public health along with issuing birth certificates, dog licenses, and conducting restaurant inspection and enforcem ...

. In 1943, New York City mayor

Fiorello LaGuardia Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (; born Fiorello Enrico LaGuardia, ; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the House of Representatives and served as the 99th Mayor of New York City from ...

and Heyman convened a panel to explore the feasibility of offering pre-paid medical services to New Yorkers of "moderate means." That panel led to the incorporation of the

Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York EmblemHealth is one of the United States' largest nonprofit health plans. It is headquartered at 55 Water Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is a multi-billion company with over 3 million members. EmblemHealth was created in 2006 thr ...

(HIP) in 1944 as the first health insurance plan for public service workers, utilizing various medical centers throughout the city. More than 2,600 members of the Chefs, Cooks, Pastry Cooks and Assistants Local 89 became the first subscribers to HIP in 1947. Through a merger with

Group Health Incorporated EmblemHealth is one of the United States' largest nonprofit health plans. It is headquartered at 55 Water Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is a multi-billion company with over 3 million members. EmblemHealth was created in 2006 thr ...

, it became

EmblemHealth EmblemHealth is one of the United States' largest nonprofit health plans. It is headquartered at 55 Water Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is a multi-billion company with over 3 million members. EmblemHealth was created in 2006 th ...

in 2006. He retired in 1947 when Lewisohn & Company was dissolved, but he continued to serve on various city boards such as the Board of Health. He served as the Chairman of the Commission on Health Services during the administration of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

mayor

Robert F. Wagner Jr. Robert Ferdinand Wagner II (April 20, 1910 – February 12, 1991) was an American politician who served three terms as the mayor of New York City from 1954 through 1965. When running for his third term, he broke with the Tammany Hall leadership ...

Philanthropy

Heyman founded the Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University in 1981 with a contribution of $20 million.

Personal life

Heyman died at his home on East 76th Street on January 7, 1984. He was survived by three sons, eleven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heyman, David M. American financiers 1891 births 1984 deaths Cornell University alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni Loeb family