Howard J. Rubenstein
Encyclopedia
Howard J. Rubenstein is an American lawyer and public relations
expert. He has been called "the dean of damage control" by Rudolph Giuliani.
Rubenstein grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
on 74th St. near Bay Parkway
with an older sister. His mother was a homemaker
, and his father was a crime reporter for the Herald Tribune. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
Phi Beta Kappa in 1953 with a degree in economics. He then attended Harvard Law School
, but dropped out partway through the first semester.
He then began writing press releases for a Brooklyn nursing home, the Menorah Home and Hospital for the Aged and Infirm, after his father had introduced him to some officials at the home. Initially he worked out of his parent's kitchen, but later moved out after his parents refused to answer the phone saying "Rubenstein Associates".
Business grew quickly; as Rubenstein later said, "I was the only Democratic press agent in Brooklyn, so the politicians started coming to me". He enrolled in St. John's University Law School to take night classes, and graduated in 1959 first in his class. He then took a job as an assistant counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, but quit after six months.
He is the president and founder of Rubenstein Associates, which has been described as the most influential public relations organization in New York City. The firm was founded in 1954. Rubenstein’s more notable clients include many of New York’s iconic organizations including: The New York Yankees
, News Corporation
, Columbia University
, New York Philharmonic
, and The Metropolitan Opera
.
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
expert. He has been called "the dean of damage control" by Rudolph Giuliani.
Rubenstein grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
on 74th St. near Bay Parkway
Bay Parkway
Bay Parkway is a street that cuts through a major part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It starts at Ocean Parkway and continues southwesterly to Bath Beach, Bensonhurst Park, Shore Parkway, and Ceasar's Bay shopping plaza on Gravesend Bay. It runs through Bensonhurst and is four lanes...
with an older sister. His mother was a homemaker
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
, and his father was a crime reporter for the Herald Tribune. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
Phi Beta Kappa in 1953 with a degree in economics. He then attended Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, but dropped out partway through the first semester.
He then began writing press releases for a Brooklyn nursing home, the Menorah Home and Hospital for the Aged and Infirm, after his father had introduced him to some officials at the home. Initially he worked out of his parent's kitchen, but later moved out after his parents refused to answer the phone saying "Rubenstein Associates".
Business grew quickly; as Rubenstein later said, "I was the only Democratic press agent in Brooklyn, so the politicians started coming to me". He enrolled in St. John's University Law School to take night classes, and graduated in 1959 first in his class. He then took a job as an assistant counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, but quit after six months.
He is the president and founder of Rubenstein Associates, which has been described as the most influential public relations organization in New York City. The firm was founded in 1954. Rubenstein’s more notable clients include many of New York’s iconic organizations including: The New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, and The Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
.