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Bruce Wasserstein
Bruce Jay Wasserstein (December 25, 1947 – October 14, 2009)[2] was an American investment banker, businessman, and writer. He was prominent in the mergers and acquisitions industry, credited with working on 1,000 transactions with a total value of approximately $250 billion.[3] Early life and educationWasserstein was born and raised in Midwood, Brooklyn, New York, the son of Lola (née Schleifer) and Morris Wasserstein.[4] His father, a Jewish immigrant from pre-World War II Poland, settled in New York City and started a ribbon company.[5] His maternal grandfather was Simon Schleifer, a Jewish teacher in the yeshiva in Wloclawek, Poland who later immigrated to Paterson, New Jersey and became a Hebrew school principal.[6] Wasserstein had four siblings: businesswoman Sandra Wasserstein Meyer (died in 1998); Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein (whose daughter, Lucy Jane, he was raising at the time of his death); Abner Wasserstein (died 2011); and Georgette Levis (died 2014), who was married to psychiatrist Albert J. Levis.[7][8][9] Wasserstein attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush for high school.[10] He was a graduate of the McBurney School,[11] University of Michigan, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School, and spent a year at the University of Cambridge. CareerStarting his career as an attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Wasserstein then moved to First Boston Corp. in 1977 and eventually rose to co-head of that company's then-dominant merger and acquisition practice.[12] In 1988, with colleague Joseph Perella, he left First Boston to form investment bank boutique Wasserstein Perella & Co.,[13] which he sold in 2000, at the top of the late 1990s bull market, to Germany's Dresdner Bank for around $1.4 billion in stock.[14] In 2002, he left the unit Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (formed by merging Dresdner's United Kingdom unit Kleinwort Benson with Wasserstein Perella) to become head of the financial services firm Lazard.[15] In 2005, he led the initial public offering of Lazard and became the public firm's first chairman and CEO.[16] Wasserstein controlled Wasserstein & Co., a private equity firm with investments in a number of industries, particularly media. In 2004, he added New York Magazine to his media empire. In July 2007, he sold American Lawyer Media to Incisive Media for about $630 million in cash.[17] He was credited with the term "Pac-Man defense", which is used by targeted companies during a hostile takeover attempt. PhilanthropyIn 2007, Wasserstein made a $25 million donation[18] to Harvard Law School, for the creation of a large academic wing of the school's Northwest Corner complex, which was named Wasserstein Hall. Net worthAccording to Forbes, as of September 17, 2008, Wasserstein's net worth was estimated to be $2.3 billion.[19] As of 2008, he owned an apartment at 927 Fifth Avenue in New York City, an estate in Santa Barbara in California, an Atlantic oceanfront estate in East Hampton (Long Island), a house at 38 Belgrave Square in London, and another apartment in Paris.[20] Personal lifeWasserstein was married four times and has seven biological children:[7]
Wasserstein's political position was liberal. He was involved with media since high school and college, when he was an editor on his high school newspaper, The McBurneian (McBurney School, New York),[23] and later at the University of Michigan Michigan Daily, then served an internship at Forbes magazine. Inspired by Ralph Nader, he was one of "Nader's Raiders" for a brief length of time. Rahm Emanuel and Vernon Jordan were employed by Wasserstein for a few years.[24] Wasserstein also served as trustee for the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism from 2001 until his death. DeathOn October 11, 2009, Wasserstein was admitted to a hospital with an irregular heartbeat, likely caused by aconitum poisoning.[25][26][27] It was originally reported that his condition was serious, but that he was stable and recovering.[28] However, Wasserstein died in Manhattan three days later, on October 14, at the age of 61.[29] Books
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