Andre Meyer, a legendary figure in international finance and for 33 years chairman of Lazard Freres, one of the world’s foremost investment banks, died in Lausanne, Switzerland last Sunday at the age of 81, according to an announcement by a spokesman for Lazard Freres here. He was to be buried today in Paris, the city where he was born.
Meyer’s fame rested on the scope and influence of his financial dealings and his many philanthropic activities in the United States and elsewhere. His personal fortune was estimated at between $250-$500 million. Jewish by birth, he was a Life Trustee of the American Technion Society and a member of the International Board of Governors of the Haifa Technion Israel’s principals technical college.
He was also a member of the board of the American Friends of the Alliance Israelite Universelle which operates networks of Jewish schools and other institutions throughout the world. He was a leading benefactor of the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York and had a special interest in its department of physics-nuclear medicine. Meyer and his family fled Paris in advance of the Nazi occupation in 1940. He became an American citizen in 1948.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
