Elmer Holmes Bobst
Elmer Holmes Bobst (1884–1978) was an American businessman and philanthropist who worked in the pharmaceutical industry.
Early life and career
Bobst was born in Clear Spring, Maryland. He aspired to become a doctor, but instead, he taught himself pharmacology. After his wife Ethel composed his interview letter, he became manager and treasurer of the Hoffman-LaRoche Chemical Works by 1920. [citation needed]
In 1928, Hoffman-LaRoche became Roche-Nutley, and when Bobst retired from there in 1944, he was one of the nation's highest paid corporate executives. In 1945 he took charge of the ailing William Warner Company (later Warner-Lambert) and he remained board chairman. [citation needed]
Bobst had close connections to President Dwight Eisenhower, but was also a close friend of President Richard Nixon, helping guide his career and contributing generously to their campaigns. The Nixons joined Bobst and his 2 granddaughters Anne and Stephanie, for many visits to Spring Lake, NJ. In 1968, Bobst became a White House advisor on health issues. Philanthropic pursuits were also of tremendous importance, particularly cancer research and education. [citation needed]
Legacy
Bobst had one son Elmer Walton Bobst (d. 1964) with his wife of 50 years, Ethel Rose Bobst (d. 1954). His son, E. Walton Bobst, former president of Bobst Pharmaceutical, had two daughters, Anne Bobst-Highley and Stephanie Bobst Haymes Vanden Heuvel.
In April 1961 Bobst married Mamdouha As-Sayyid, a Lebanese woman decades his junior,who worked at the United Nations.[1] In 1988, Mamdouha Bobst donated the records and personal effects of her late husband to the Fales Library at NYU.[2] Mamdouha Bobst has been the subject of much controversy due to her large donations to relatively unknown Islamic charities.
Elmer Holmes Bobst was also known as an anti-Semite, writing in a letter to Nixon, “Jews have troubled the world from the very beginning. If this beloved country of ours ever falls apart, the blame rightly should be attributed to the malicious action of Jews in complete control of our communications.”[3][4][5]
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
Bobst gave $11 million towards the completion and opening of New York University's Bobst Library. Opened on September 12, 1973, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, is the main library and anchor building at NYU. Located at the Southeast corner of Washington Square Park, it is named after its benefactor. Bobst was a long time trustee at NYU.
References
- ↑ "Elmer H. Bobst Weds Mamdouha As-Sayyid". The New York Times. 23 April 1961.
- ↑ The Fales library guide to the Elmer Holmes Bobst Papers
- ↑ Zion, Sidney (14 April 1997). "Nixon pal's slur won't passover". NY Daily News (New York). Retrieved 11 November 2011.
- ↑ Zion, Sidney (14 April 1997). "Nixon pal's slur won't passover". NY Daily News (New York). Retrieved 11 November 2011.
- ↑ Trigoboff, Sara (13 December 2010). "NYU History Lesson: The Not-So-Admirable Elmer Holmes Bobst". NYU Local. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
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