Robert W. Wilson (philanthropist)

Robert Warne Wilson (November 3, 1926 – December 23, 2013) was an American hedge fund manager, philanthropist and art collector.

Robert W. Wilson
Wilson in June 2012
Born(1926-11-03)November 3, 1926
Detroit, Michigan, US
DiedDecember 23, 2013(2013-12-23) (aged 87)
New York City
Alma mater
OccupationBusinessman

Background

Born in Detroit, Wilson gained his undergraduate degree at Amherst College and his masters from the University of Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan law school, but later left to work as a securities analyst. He founded his own hedge fund Wilson & Associates in 1969 and retired in 1986. By 2000 he was worth an estimated $800 million.[1]

According to BusinessWeek he gave away over four hundred million dollars, and according to others more than $600 million,[1] to environmental and preservation organizations including the Nature Conservancy and the World Monuments Fund.[2] After his death, an email correspondence with Bill Gates revealed that Wilson opposed The Giving Pledge, calling it "practically worthless".[3]

An avid art collector at the time, Wilson had been on the board of trustees of the Whitney Museum of American Art for over thirty years.[4] In his will Wilson left his art collection to the Whitney with the exception of James Rosenquist's 1997 painting, The Meteor Hits the Swimmer's Pillow.[5]

He was chairman of the New York City Opera board from 1981 to 1993.[1] Wilson was passionate about criminal justice reform, and was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union for over four decades.[6]

Death

Wilson died on December 23, 2013, at the age of 87, after leaping from his apartment on the 16th floor of The San Remo on Central Park West in the New York City borough of Manhattan. He had suffered a stroke in the month of June and another in the month prior to his suicide.[7]

Wilson was openly gay[5] but had been married once and divorced; he had no children.[1] He was survived by his brother William.[8]

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References
  1. "Robert W. Wilson, Frugal Philanthropist, Dies at 87" by Paul Vitello, The New York Times, December 27, 2013
  2. "Meet the New Top Givers". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  3. Kosman, Josh (January 1, 2014). "Bill Gates told that his charity pledge is 'worthless'". New York Post. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  4. "Whitney Museum of American Art: Board of Trustees As of October 22, 2013". Whitney.org. October 22, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  5. Marsh, Julia (January 16, 2014). "Tycoon who jumped to his death after stroke leaves $2M to staffer". New York Post. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  6. "The ACLU Mourns the Death of Robert Wilson". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  7. Stevens, Charles W.; Chris Dolmetsch (December 24, 2013). "Robert Wilson, Hedge Fund Founder, Leaps to His Death at 87". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  8. "Tycoon Robert Wilson gives away $800 million fortune before jumping to death" by John Selby, The Independent, December 27, 2013
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