Pforzheimer, Carl Howard

PFORZHEIMER, CARL HOWARD (1879–1957), U.S. businessman, public servant, and bibliophile. Pforzheimer, who was born in New York City, established in 1901 a brokerage business that became well known for its underwriting of oil securities at a time when the U.S. financial community generally regarded such issues as a poor risk. Active in Westchester County public affairs, he served as chairman of the Westchester County Emergency Work Bureau (1931–35); the Westchester County Commission on Government, whose work subsequently led to the promulgation of Westchester's Home Rule Charter; and the Westchester County Planning Commission. Pforzheimer was a trustee of the Jewish Publication Society of America and of Montefiore Hospital, and a supporter of the Jewish Division of the New York Public Library. He was a rare-book and manuscript collector who assembled one of the finest private collections in the U.S. (including a Gutenberg Bible). Pforzheimer compiled a three-volume catalog of his collection for scholarly use.