Felix Rohatyn

For the town in Ukraine, see Rohatyn.
Felix Rohatyn
Rohatyn in 1985
United States Ambassador to France
In office
September 11, 1997 – December 7, 2000
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byPamela Harriman
Succeeded byHoward H. Leach
Personal details
Born
Felix George Rohatyn

(1928-05-29)May 29, 1928
Vienna, Austria
DiedDecember 14, 2019(2019-12-14) (aged 91)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Jeannette Streit
​
​
(m. 1956; div. 1979)​
Elizabeth Fly Vagliano
​
​
(m. 1979; died 2016)​
Children3
RelativesClarence Streit (former father-in-law)
Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn (daughter-in-law)
Nina Griscom (stepdaughter)
EducationMiddlebury College (BS)

Felix George Rohatyn (/ˈroʊɑːtɪn/ ROH-ah-tin;[1] May 29, 1928 – December 14, 2019)[2] was an American investment banker and diplomat. He spent most of his career with Lazard, where he brokered numerous large corporate mergers and acquisitions from the 1960s through the 1990s. In 1975, he played a central role in preventing the bankruptcy of New York City as chairman of the Municipal Assistance Corporation and chief negotiator between the city, its labor unions and its creditors.

Rohatyn later became an outspoken advocate for rebuilding America's infrastructure, working with politicians and business leaders to craft guiding principles for strengthening infrastructure as co-chair of the Commission on Public Infrastructure. Rohatyn was involved in efforts to form a national infrastructure bank, and assisted in the rebuilding of New York City following Hurricane Sandy as co-chair of the New York State 2100 Commission.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

From 1997 to 2000, Rohatyn served as United States Ambassador to France.[9]

  1. ^ "A Wall Street Money Man, Felix (the Fixer) Rohatyn, Tries to Save New York City". PEOPLE.com.
  2. ^ Chan, Sewell (December 14, 2019). "Felix G. Rohatyn, Financier Who Piloted New York's Rescue, Dies at 91". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Cityfile: Felix Rohatyn". Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  4. ^ "Jeanne Greenberg, Nicolas Rohatyn". The New York Times. September 14, 1997. p. 50. Retrieved 2012-01-08.
  5. ^ Kampel, Stewart (2007). "Felix G. Rohatyn". In Berenbaum, Michael; Skolnik, Fred (eds.). Encyclopaedia Judaica (2nd ed.). Detroit: Macmillan Reference. ISBN 978-0-02-866097-4. Gale K2587516862 – via Fairfax County Public Library.
  6. ^ Elizabeth Rohatyn, Felix Rohatyn and Hugh Carey (December 21, 2000). Charlie Rose – A discussion about the life of Felix Rohatyn. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2012-01-08. A conversation with businessman, investment banker, and U.S. Ambassador to France Felix Rohatyn about escaping from the Nazis as a child, returning to France as an adult, his mentors, his career, and his philosophy. His wife, Elizabeth Fly Rohatyn, vice chairman of the board of Channel 13 and chairman of the New York Public Library, and former New York Governor Hugh Carey join in to give their perspectives.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Seattle2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Dahle, Stephanie (March 3, 2009). "Felix Rohatyn -Investment banker, former U.S. ambassador to France and author of Bold Endeavors". Forbes.
  9. ^ "State Dept Biography". Retrieved 2017-06-24.