Charles Schusterman

Charles Schusterman (1935–December 30, 2000) was an American businessman and philanthropist based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was the founder of the Samson Investment Company, a privately owned oil and gas company with oil field investments in the United States, Canada, Venezuela and Russia. He was a large donor to Jewish causes in the United States and Israel. He and his wife, Lynn Schusterman, founded the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Early life Schusterman was born in 1935 in the Soviet Union. His Orthodox Russian Jewish family emigrated to the United States. He grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Central High School. Schusterman graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where he received a bachelor of science degree in petroleum engineering, and subsequently served in the United States Army.

Career Schusterman started his career in the oil industry in Oklahoma by entering into an oil field salvage business. He had a brother and a sister.

Death and legacy Schusterman was first diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in 1983. His funeral was held at Temple Israel in Tulsa.

Schusterman was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in November 2000.