Cyrus A. Ansary

Cyrus A. Ansary (born 1934) is an Iranian-American lawyer, philanthropist, educator, financier and author.

Life and career Cyrus A. Ansary was born in 1934. He visited Mt. Vernon, New York in 1950, while attending Alborz High School. Ansary later earned a BS in Economics from American University, a law degree from Columbia and a Certificate in French Civilization from the University of Paris. He served in the U.S. Marines.

Career Ansary is president of Investment Services International Co. and the founder and current chairman of Fort Knox National Company. He practiced law in the firm of Ansary, Kirkpatrick & Rosse and was chairman of the board of JPMorgan Value Opportunities Fund, Inc. He was affiliated with Washington Mutual Investors Fund, Inc. from 1983, Krupp GmbH, Deutsche Babcock and Wilcox. Kermit A. Washington and Hani M. S. Farsi.

In March 2014, Mount Vernon awarded its first Cyrus A. Ansary Prize for Courage and Character to former president George H. W. Bush. The prize was established in 2012 by Cyrus A. and Janet H. Ansary and, in 2014, came with $75,000 in unrestricted and Mt. Vernon-related monies.

Books Ansary, Cyrus A. George Washington, Dealmaker-in-Chief: The Story of How the Father of Our Country Unleashed the Entrepreneurial Spirit in America. Washington, DC: Lambert Publications LLC, 2019. . Ansary, Cyrus A. Odyssey of High Hopes: A Memoir of Adversity and Triumph. Washington, DC: Lambert Publications LLC, 2022. .