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David Gottesman

(1926 - )

David Gottesman is a Jewish American businessman best known for having founded the investment advisory firm, First Manhattan.

Gottesman (born April 26, 1926) was born in New York City. He obtained his BA/BS from Trinity College in Connecticut and eventually earned a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University in Boston.

In 1962, Gottesman developed a friendship with Warren Buffet and became an early investor in Buffet's company, Berkshire Hathaway, and today owns close to 20,000 shares in the stock. In 1964, Gottesman founded the investment advisory firm First Manhattan which specializes in providing professional investment management services primarily to individuals, partnerships, trusts, retirement accounts and institutional clients. It currently manages investments in securities for accounts that range from under $1 million to over $100 million.

In 2010, Forbes Magazine counted Gottesman on the list of America's wealthiest billionaire's despite the fact that his Berkshire stocks took a dive in the 2009 recession. Gottesman currently lives in Rye, New York with his wife Ruth. He is the father of three children and grandfather to seven.

Gottesman is also a dedicated philanthropist within the Jewish community. In 2009, he and his wife donated $25 million to the Yeshiva University Medical School.


Sources: Wikipedia, Forbes, NNDB, Bloomberg Businessweek