Jerome A. Chazen (March 21, 1927 – February 6, 2022) was an American businessman who was the founder and chairman of Chazen Capital Partners. He was also one of four and last surviving founders of

Liz Claiborne Anne Elisabeth Jane Claiborne (March 31, 1929 – June 26, 2007) was an American fashion designer and businesswoman. Her success was built upon stylish yet affordable apparel for career women featuring colorfully tailored separates that cou ...

Early life and career

Chazen was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, in

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 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

where his mother Rose was a seamstress, and his father David worked in commercial heating. and received a bachelor's degree in economics in 1948 from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison ...

where he was a member of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity and an MBA from

Columbia Business School Columbia Business School (CBS) is the business school of Columbia University, a Private university, private research university in New York City. Established in 1916, Columbia Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools and is one ...

in 1950. He served in the Navy from 1945–46 and it was at UW-Madison where Chazen met his future wife, Simona, and Liz Claiborne co-founder Art Ortenberg. Chazen's first job was as an analyst on Wall Street at Sutro Brothers before he transitioned to a career in fashion beginning with Rhea Midwest, an apparel manufacturer. In 1968, Chazen left his job at Winkelman's, where he was hired as a merchandising manager in 1960, for a job in fashion on the east coast. In 1976, he co founded

Liz Claiborne Inc Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza. People * Liz Balmaseda (born 1959), Pulit ...

with

, her husband Art Ortenberg, and Leonard Boxer. Chazen was initially in charge of direct marketing operations. When Liz Claiborne retired from the company in 1989, Chazen was named Chairman of the company and also served as CEO. He was named chair emeritus upon his retirement in 1996. Chazen saw the company through a time that significantly changed what women wore to work. Chazen wrote and published ''My Life at Liz Claiborne'' in 2012.

Philanthropy

In 1991, Chazen donated $10 million to found The Chazen Institute of International Business at Columbia Business School and the Chazen Museum, formerly the

Elvehjem Museum of Art The Chazen Museum of Art is an art museum located at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. The Chazen Museum of Art is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. History Until 2005, the Museum was known regularly as th ...

, at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

to which he and his wife also made donations of works of art. Chazen served on the boards of the

Newport Jazz The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

and

Louis Armstrong House The Louis Armstrong House is a historic house museum at 34-56 107th Street in the Corona neighborhood of Queens in New York City. and It was the home of Louis Armstrong and his wife Lucille Wilson from 1943 until his death in 1971. Luc ...

and was chair emeritus at the

Museum of Arts and Design The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the mus ...

Personal life and death

He was married to Simona Chivian whom he met at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They had three children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandson. He died at his home in Upper Nyack on February 6, 2022, aged 94.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chazen, Jerome 1927 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American Jews American company founders American fashion businesspeople Businesspeople from New York City Columbia Business School alumni Military personnel from New York City University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II