Robert Adam Mosbacher Sr. (March 11, 1927 – January 24, 2010) was an American businessman, accomplished yacht racer, and a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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. A longtime friend and political ally of George H. W. Bush, Mosbacher served in Bush's Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce from 1989 to 1992.

Early life

Mosbacher was born in Mount Vernon, New York, to Gertrude (née Schwartz) and Emil Mosbacher. His grandparents were

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...

immigrants. He had a sister, Barbara, and a brother, Emil Mosbacher Jr., a two-time America's Cup-winning yachtsman and former Presidential Chief of Protocol. Mosbacher had a colorful childhood, growing up around characters like

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, a friend of his father. After graduation from

The Choate School Choate Rosemary Hall (often known as Choate; ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Choate is currently ranked as the second best boarding school and third best private hi ...

, he went to Texas as a wildcatter. He befriended future president George H. W. Bush in Texas.

Sailing career

Sailing as a member of the Knickerbocker Yacht Club, Mosbacher led the team that won the Scoville Cup and the Midget Yacht championship for under-15 racers in 1940 on Long Island Sound. He went on to win the Southern Ocean Racing Conference championship in 1958 and the Mallory Cup, also in 1958. Mosbacher later appeared on the cover of

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

, on May 18, 1959, with his brother Bus Mosbacher, for a feature article titled ''Kings of the Class-Boat Sailors''. The article called Bob Mosbacher "the unquestioned master of fleet racing". Mosbacher won the Silver Medal in World Championships Dragon class in 1967 in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. In 1969, he won the Gold Medal in World Championships Dragon class at Palma de Mallorca by one point. As of 2010, he was still only one of two Americans to have ever won the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in the Dragon class. SolingWorldChampionshipTrophy

He won the Gold Medal in World Championships Soling class in 1971 in Oyster Bay, NY on a boat named "Adlez" built by Abbott with rigging from Melges. He lost to Buddy Melges in the 1972 Olympic Trials (Soling class) in San Francisco Bay. Buddy Melges went on to win the Gold Medal in the Soling Class at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

in Germany. Mosbacher won the Bronze Medal in World Championships 5.5 metre class in 1985 at Newport Beach. In 1988 he won the

Scandinavian Gold Cup Scandinavian Gold Cup is a sailing race held annually for 5.5 metre yachts. It is a nation race, meaning that each participant nation can send only one boat/team. Despite its name, it has been an international competition almost through its entir ...

for 5.5 metre yachts. He was described in Stuart H. Walker's book ''Advanced Racing Tactics'' as a keenly competitive racer "unwilling to settle for second". Mosbacher participated in a semi-final match race against

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he fo ...

in the Mallory Cup in 1960. On the final windward leg, Mosbacher was slightly ahead.

attempted to force Mosbacher into a mistake by executing a grueling tacking duel. The windward leg involved fifty-two tacks. In the end, Mosbacher won by five seconds.

Political career

Mosbacher was the finance chairman of Gerald Ford's failed election bid in 1976. He also lost his own race for delegate to the

1976 Republican National Convention The 1976 Republican National Convention was a United States political convention of the Republican Party that met from August 16 to August 19, 1976, to select the party's nominee for President. Held in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, the ...

in Kansas City,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, to a slate backing Ronald Reagan, Ford's rival for the party nomination. Mosbacher, running in the then 7th congressional district, lost to State Senator Walter Mengden of Houston, 39,276 to 26,344 votes. Earlier, Mosbacher in 1970 headed the fund-raising effort for George H. W. Bush in his losing Senate campaign against Lloyd M. Bentsen and again in Bush's campaigns for President in 1980 and 1988. As

U.S. Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

, he was the principal Cabinet official responsible for initiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He was a strong proponent of the agreement, which created the largest unified market in the world. The agreement was not signed into law in the U.S. until December 8, 1993, during the administration of President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. The agreement went into effect on January 1, 1994. Mosbacher was a member of President Reagan's Task Force on Private Sector Initiatives 1981–83, and vice chairman of the board of trustees of the

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...

. He then became Secretary of Commerce in 1989 after he directed the George H. W. Bush 1988 Presidential Election Campaign. He also served as a director of the

Center for Strategic and International Studies The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. CSIS was founded as the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University in 1962. The center conducts polic ...

. In 2008, he was the general chairman of John McCain's bid for the White House.

Business interests

Mosbacher was a charter member and past chairman of the All American Wildcatters Association, and served on the board of directors and executive committee of the

American Petroleum Institute The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent nearly 600 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the ...

. He was former director of Texas Commerce Bank and also of

New York Life Insurance Company New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States ...

. Mosbacher was a former president of the American Association of Petroleum Landmen, as well as a former chairman of the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. In 1989, Mosbacher received an honorary doctoral degree from the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

. He was trustee emeritus of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, and president of the board of Odyssey Academy, a public charter school located in Galveston, Texas.

Mosbacher Institute

The Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy was founded in October 2009 upon the request of President George H.W. Bush to honor Mosbacher. The mission of the Mosbacher Institute is to address economic challenges confronting the United States and world economies by conducting policy-relevant research, providing education, and engaging stakeholders in the areas of trade, economics, and public policy. The institute is a nonpartisan organization.

Family and personal life

Mosbacher's brother was Emil "Bus" Mosbacher Jr., who successfully defended the America's Cup as skipper of the ''Weatherly'' in 1962 and again in 1967 as skipper of the '' Intrepid''. Mosbacher was married four times: * In 1946, he married Jane Pennybacker. Born

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 ...

, Mosbacher converted to Pennybacker's

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

religion. They had four children: Diane "Dee" Mosbacher, Robert Mosbacher Jr., Kathryn Mosbacher, and Lisa Mosbacher Mears. The marriage ended upon his wife's death from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

in 1970. * His marriage to Sandra Smith Gerry ended in divorce in 1982. * In 1985, he married Georgette Paulsin, herself twice previously married. They divorced in 1998. * His last marriage of 10 years to Michele "Mica" Mosbacher (Mica McCutchen Duncan) ended with his death. Mosbacher's eldest daughter Diane "Dee" Mosbacher is a psychiatrist and lesbian activist. In 1992, Robert Mosbacher Sr. was the first Republican Campaign Chair to meet with leaders from the National Lesbian Gay Task Force. His son, Robert Mosbacher Jr., is a businessman, public servant, and a former Republican politician.

Death

On January 24, 2010, Mosbacher died of pancreatic cancer at the

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the U.S. and one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers ...

at the age of 82. He was buried at the

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

in Washington, D.C.

Awards and honors

*1984 – Washington and Lee University awards him honorary doctor of laws degree *1989 – Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

*In 1999, he was awarded the

Queen Sofía Spanish Institute The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute is an organization in New York City, founded to promote the Spanish language and the culture of Spain and the Americas. Its office is located at 575 Madison Avenue, following the sale of the 684 Park Avenue locat ...

Gold Medal. *Receives “Order of the Aztec Eagle,” the highest decoration offered by the Mexican Government to non-citizens *2009 – Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System approved the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy in the Bush School of Government and Public Service *2016 – Preston Street Bridge near downtown Houston renamed in late Robert A. Mosbacher, Sr.'s honor

References

External links

*
Looking into the Crystal Ball: Forecasting the Future of Oil and Gas, ''World Energy Magazine'' Volume 10 Number 2
by Robert Mosbacher.
High Oil Prices and Consumer Opinion: A Problem of Perspective, ''World Energy Magazine'' Volume 3 Number 1
by Robert Mosbacher {{DEFAULTSORT:Mosbacher, Robert 1927 births 2010 deaths 20th-century American politicians 5.5 Metre class sailors American energy industry businesspeople American male sailors (sport) American people of German-Jewish descent American Presbyterians Burials at the Congressional Cemetery Choate Rosemary Hall alumni Converts to Calvinism from Judaism Deaths from cancer in Texas Deaths from pancreatic cancer George H. W. Bush administration cabinet members Jewish American members of the Cabinet of the United States North American Champions Soling Politicians from Houston People from Wallingford, Connecticut Politicians from Mount Vernon, New York Texas Republicans United States Secretaries of Commerce Washington and Lee University alumni Soling class world champions