Gerhard Rudolf "Gerry" Andlinger (January 17, 1931, in
Linz,
Austria – December 22, 2017) was an international business executive, philanthropist, sportsman, and founder of the private investment firm Andlinger & Company, Inc.
Career summary
Following service in the U.S. Army, and becoming a US citizen Andlinger began his career with
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm founded in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey, that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. McKinsey is the oldest and ...
, a noted management consulting firm. In 1960, he was recruited to
International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) by the legendary
Harold Geneen
Harold "Hal" Sydney Geneen (January 22, 1910 – November 21, 1997), was an American businessman most famous for serving as president of the ITT Corporation.
Biography
Geneen was born on January 22, 1910 in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England. H ...
as the first Director of Planning and Organization. Andlinger was named Group Executive - Far East in 1962. During that time he served on the board of directors of
Nippon Electric Company
is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...
(NEC) and
Sumitomo Electric. He became the youngest elected Vice President of ITT at the age of 34.
Andlinger left ITT in 1967 to become chairman of
Esterline Corporation, but was recruited back to ITT in 1972 as chairman of ITT's Levitt & Sons, Inc. He later served as President of ITT Europe and was elected Executive Vice President of ITT Corporation. In 1976, Andlinger formed his own private investment firm, Andlinger & Company, Inc. (A&Co.). He additionally served as chairman and CEO of numerous A&Co. portfolio companies. Since its founding, the firm, with offices in the United States, Europe and China, has been involved in over 100 corporate acquisition transactions.
Academic and personal life
In 1948, as a winner of a ''
New York Herald Tribune
The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...
'' essay contest for Austrian high school students, Andlinger made his first visit to the
United States. At the age of 19, Andlinger received a scholarship to
Princeton University - the alma mater of his earlier American student host - with advanced placement as a junior. He graduated from Princeton University in 1952 with a degree in economics and a minor in
Arabic language. As part of his degree, Andlinger completed a 137-page long senior thesis titled "The Economic Effect of the Tax on the Unreasonable Accumulation of Profits." He continued his academic career at
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
and was awarded an
M.B.A. in 1954. He also was awarded an honorary doctorate from
Bryant College
Bryant University is a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It has two colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business, and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
History
Butler Exc ...
in
Rhode Island for contributions to international management.
Andlinger married Jeanne Dailey in 1994, when she was 37 and he was 62.
Andlinger had five children by four different women. His 15-year-old son, Gerhard Andlinger II, committed suicide in 2011.
In 2015, Andlinger purchased
Jon Bon Jovi
John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...
's penthouse at 158 Mercer Street in New York's
SoHo neighborhood for $34 million. In 2017 Andlinger listed the property for sale at $38 million but was forced to lower his price to $34 million after it sat on the market for nearly 10 months. The home had six bedrooms, six bathrooms and a chef's kitchen. He also owned a $65 million home in Manhattan's
Time Warner Center.
Philanthropy
Andlinger has been a large contributor to Princeton University,
[Princeton - News - Financier Gerhard Andlinger Makes $25 Million Gift to Princeton University](_blank)
/ref> leading hospitals in the area of cancer research, and the American Austrian Foundation among many other causes. A $25 million gift to Princeton University in 2000 created the Andlinger Center for the Humanities,
Insider trading
Andlinger settled with the SEC an outstanding insider trading
Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider information ...
allegation by paying disgorgement and civil penalties in excess of $3.4 million and entered into an agreement barring Andlinger from serving as an officer or director of a public company for five years.
/ref>
References
External links
Gerhard Andlinger Website
Andlinger & Company, Inc. Website
Princeton University Press Release on Gift
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andlinger
1931 births
2017 deaths
American financial businesspeople
Princeton University alumni
Harvard Business School alumni
Austrian emigrants to the United States
People from Linz
People from SoHo, Manhattan
20th-century American philanthropists