Robert B. Menschel (1930-2022) was an American investment banker and philanthropist. He had a 50 year relationship with Goldman Sachs as a Partner or Senior Director. The author of a financial book, and the winner of the 2015 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

Early life

Robert Menschel was born circa 1930. His father was a real estate investor. He has a brother,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

, who is also a Goldman Sachs senior director and philanthropist. Menschel graduated from Syracuse University's College of Business Administration in 1951.

Career

Menschel began his career at Goldman Sachs in 1954. When it became a public company in 1999, Menschel earned $20 million in shares. He is now a (retired) senior director. Menschel is the author of ''Markets, Mobs & Mayhem: A Modern Look at the Madness of Crowds'', prefaced by

William Safire William Lewis Safire (; Safir; December 17, 1929 – September 27, 2009Safire, William (1986). ''Take My Word for It: More on Language.'' Times Books. . p. 185.) was an American author, columnist, journalist, and presidential speechwriter. He w ...

. While presenting historical examples of societal hysteria, Menschel suggests picking stocks by focusing on "

value investing Value investing is an investment paradigm that involves buying securities that appear underpriced by some form of fundamental analysis. The various forms of value investing derive from the investment philosophy first taught by Benjamin Graham an ...

, ..a strong franchise, a defined strategy that focuses on a core competency, and consistent sales and earnings."

Philanthropy and political activity

Menschel was first elected to the Board of Trustees id Syracuse Universityin 1981, he served as a voting trustee for more than two decades, becoming a trustee emeritus and part of a select group of honorary trustees, Syracuse University. He financially supported the

Light Work Light Work is a photography center in Syracuse, New York. The artist-run nonprofit supports photographers through a community-access digital lab facility, residencies, exhibitions, and publications. History The organization is housed at Syra ...

photography center, Robert B. Menschel Media Center, and the Robert B. Menschel Photography Gallery. Since 1977, he has been at various times the Chairman, President, Trustee and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

as well as former Chairman of its Photography Committee, where he has donated 162 photographs. He assisted Larry Siegel in founding the Midtown Y Photography Gallery in 1972 as a corridor gallery at the Emanu-El Midtown YM-YWHA on 14th Street. He serves on the board of trustees of the

NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools, Cornell University and Columbia University. The hospital comprises seven distinct campuses located in the New Y ...

. He is the namesake of The Robert B. Menschel Economics Symposium at the Council on Foreign Relations. With his brother, Richard, Menschel won the 2015 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. Menschel and his wife donated over $700,000 to Democrats in 2010. He is the former Board President of

The Dalton School The Dalton School, originally the Children's University School, is a private, coeducational college preparatory school in New York City and a member of both the Ivy Preparatory School League and the New York Interschool. The school is located i ...

, Chairman of the Board of Guild Hall of East Hampton, Long Island, and a member of Bill Clinton's

President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) was an advisory committee to the White House on cultural issues. It worked directly with the Administration and the three primary cultural agencies: the National Endowment for the Art ...

Personal life

Menschel has a wife, Joyce, who is the namesake of the Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menschel, Robert Living people Businesspeople from New York City American investment bankers Goldman Sachs people Philanthropists from New York (state) New York (state) Democrats Menschel family Year of birth missing (living people) Martin J. Whitman School of Management alumni