Randolph Guggenheimer (November 4, 1907 – July 1, 1999) was a lawyer and philanthropist. Guggenheimer advocated for improved medical services for residents of Harlem from poor areas. In 1979, he and management consultant Eugene McCabe co-founded North General Hospital, a community hospital in Harlem. They opened the hospital in the building previously occupied by the

Hospital for Joint Diseases NYU Langone Health is an academic medical center located in New York City, New York, United States. The health system consists of NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Long Island School of Medicine, both part of New York University (NYU), and m ...

after that hospital moved. Guggenheimer later served as chair of the Board of Directors of North General Hospital.

Early life and education

Guggenheimer was born to Minna and Charles S. Guggenheimer in

Manhattan, New York City Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

on November 4, 1907. He was the grandson and namesake of Randolph Guggenheimer (1846-1907). He graduated from Morristown School (now Morristown-Beard School) in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

in 1924. Guggenheimer then earned a bachelor's degree at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut in 1928. After completing a law degree at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he joined Guggenheimer & Untermyer, the law firm founded by his grandfather. In 1942, Guggenheimer joined the United States Army Air Forces. After receiving a commission as a first lieutenant, he served as an intelligence officer with the headquarters of the

63d Fighter Squadron The 63d Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 56th Operations Group, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-35A aircraft, and conducts advanced fighter training since its reactivation in 2016. ...

. During World War II, Guggenheimer served as the executive officer of

402d Fighter Squadron The 402d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 370th Fighter Group, Ninth Air Force, stationed at Camp Shanks, New York. It was inactivated on 10 November 1945. The squadron was re-designate ...

with the Ninth Air Force.

Recognition and legacy

In 1991, New York City Mayor David Dinkins honored Guggenheimer's work to ensure hospital services for residents of Harlem. Eight years later, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney recognized his work's impact during remarks on the floor of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. During his advocacy career, Guggenheimer also received the United Hospital Fund's Distinguished Community Service Award.

Family

Guggenheimer was a nephew of civic leader

Samuel Untermyer Samuel J. Untermyer (March 6, 1858 – March 16, 1940) was a prominent American lawyer and civic leader. He is also remembered for bequeathing his Yonkers, New York estate, now known as Untermyer Park, to the people of New York State. Life S ...

, the namesake of

Untermyer Park Untermyer Park and Gardens is a historic city public park, located in Yonkers, New York in Westchester County, just north of New York City. The park is a remnant of Samuel Untermyer's estate "Greystone". Situated on the steep land arising fro ...

in Yonkers, New York. In 1932, Guggenheimer married civic leader Elinor Coleman Guggenheimer. Elinor Guggenheimer served as commissioner of cultural affairs for New York City and as a member of the New York City Planning Commission. She also founded the New York Women's Agenda and the Council of Senior Centers and Services. They had two children together: Charles and Randolph Guggenheimer Jr. In 1997, Maloney paid tribute to the philanthropic work of Guggenheimer and Elinor Guggenheimer on their 65th wedding anniversary. From 1918 to 1964, Guggenheimer's mother Minna produced the annual summer concerts at Lewisohn Stadium at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

. The concert series brought well-known musicians to Harlem and enabled residents to attend for an admission price of less than $1.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guggenheimer, Randolph 1907 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American lawyers Philanthropists from New York (state) Lawyers from Manhattan Place of death missing Harvard Law School alumni Yale University alumni Morristown-Beard School alumni 20th-century American philanthropists