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George Gund

1888 – 1966

American businessman

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About George Gund

Lived 1888 – 1966 (aged 78). George Gund was an American art collector and banker.

Business career After the start of prohibition in the United States in 1920, Gund was forced to close his father's brewery in Cleveland. Gund also took over management of the Gund Realty Company in Cleveland and invested his money in numerous ventures.

Gund studied animal husbandry at Iowa State University from 1922 to 1923.

In 1937, Gund was elected a director of the Cleveland Trust Company (a savings bank established in 1896), Under Gund's leadership, by 1967 the bank had more than $2 billion in assets,

Gund was "extraordinarily conservative" when it came to business.

Philanthropic work and memorials Gund became a frequent giver of large charitable gifts beginning in 1937. In 1952, Gund established The George Gund Foundation. He divided his $200 million ($ in dollars) fortune Efn|A number of sources claim Gund's fortune was actually $600 million. The New York Times mentioned an anecdote about Gund's $600 million fortune in a 1971 article. Robert A. Musson, a historian of the Cleveland brewing scene, wrote in 2005 that Gund was worth $600 million at the time of his death. Musson's claim is contradicted by the findings of the probate court, which found an estate worth just $25 million. during his lifetime. The foundation ended 1953 with $166,878 ($ in dollars) in assets, but grew to about $30 million ($ in dollars) in assets by 1960. Disbursement of funds to various causes left the George Gund Foundation with just $16.4 million ($ in dollars) in assets by 1964. At Gund's death in November 1966, his estate was worth about $24.5 million ($ in dollars) after the payment of debts and fees. The bulk of his estate went to the George Gund Foundation, whose assets rose to just over $40 million ($ in dollars). Efn|$18.9 million of Gund's estate consisted of stock. According to The Plain Dealer newspaper, the largest holdings were $8.7 million of Kellogg's stock, $1.5 million in Traveler's Corp. stock, $1.15 million in Northern Life Insurance Company stock, and $1.05 million in Standard Oil stock.

A number of buildings and places are named for Gund, due to his philanthropic efforts. Among these are: George Gund Hall at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Gund Hall at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and Gund Theater at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

Death George Gund died of leukemia at the Cleveland Clinic on November 15, 1966.

Personal life George Gund purchased a large cattle ranch in Nevada,

In a New York Times article about Agnes Gund, Agnes addressed her father's personal life. "He didn't get married until he was 48 years old, Ms. Gund said, and there were whispers that he was gay. What Ms. Gund said she knew was that "he didn't like women so much, and I was one of those, so he didn't like me.' "

On May 23, 1936, She was the granddaughter of Henry Bedell Laidlaw, the founder of one of the first investment banking houses in New York City, Laidlaw & Company. Gund purchased a large home in Beachwood, a wealthy suburb of Cleveland,

Descendants Gund distributed most of his fortune to his children through trusts during his lifetime.

In 1991, Agnes Gund was named president of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. She stepped down in 2002.

Graham Gund is the founder and owner of Graham Gund Architects, an architectural design firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. An award-winning architect and noted art collector, he has designed numerous important buildings and residences, including the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, D.C., and overseen numerous redevelopment projects, such as the refurbishment of historic Faneuil Hall. He is also a trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Geoffrey Gund taught at the Dalton School in New York City until his retirement in 2013 and was president of The George Gund Foundation until his retirement in 2019.

Louise Gund is a Tony Award-winning theater producer, environmentalist, women's activist, and philanthropist.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Harvard Business School, Harvard University, University School
Also known as
George Gund II

Family & relationships

Child
Agnes Gund
Child
George Gund III
Child
Gordon Gund
Child
Graham Gund

People in George Gund's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped George Gund's

Frequently asked questions

Who was George Gund?

American businessman (1888-1966)

When was George Gund born?

George Gund was born on 13 April 1888 in La Crosse.

When did George Gund die?

George Gund died on 15 November 1966 in Cleveland.

What was George Gund's occupation?

George Gund was an art collector and banker.

What nationality was George Gund?

George Gund was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: George Gund

· Wikidata: Q5539970

· DBpedia: George Gund II

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). George Gund. https://biography.guide/george-gund/

MLA: "George Gund." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/george-gund/.

Chicago: "George Gund." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/george-gund/.

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