Ira D. Wallach
Encyclopedia
Ira David Wallach was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was head of Central National-Gottesman
, the largest privately held marketer of paper and pulp products.
. He served as a Navy
lieutenant in World War II.
He married Miriam Gottesman Wallach in 1938. He joined Gottesman & Company as Executive Vice President in 1946. He served as CEO from 1956 to 1979. During his tenure, the company grew to become the world’s largest private marketer of wood pulp
, paper and newsprint
. He later served as chairman, then senior vice chairman until his death.
In 1946 he joined Gottesman & Company, as it was then known, as executive vice president. He was the chief executive and a director of the company from 1956 to 1979, later serving as chairman and then senior vice chairman, the title he held at his death. During his tenure, the company, which is based in Purchase, N.Y., grew from a relatively small wood pulp distributor, into the world's preeminent privately owned marketer of pulp and paper, with offices in 26 U.S. cities, 17 countries and representatives in 40 international locations. Mr. Wallach was a man who refused accolades, and was much admired and adored by his company's employees.
In 1980, Mr. Wallach co-founded the Institute for East West Security Studies, now known as the EastWest Institute
, a research group that focuses on international political, economic and security issues.
In a career of more than 70 years, he was a lawyer and businessman with interests in philanthropy and in global economic and political affairs. With his wife Miriam, he created a charitable foundation whose beneficiaries included the New York Public Library, Columbia University, the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mr. Wallach was an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War and many policies of the Nixon administration. He was named in a White House memorandum listing Nixon’s “political opponents,” one step down from the notorious “enemies list” — people who were singled out for tax audits and other problems.
Central National-Gottesman
Central National-Gottesman, Inc. is one of the world's largest distributors of pulp, paper, paperboard, and newsprint. The firm's products are sold in over 75 countries, through a network of 43 offices located in the United States and abroad....
, the largest privately held marketer of paper and pulp products.
Life and career
Born in New York City, he earned his B.A. and law degrees from Columbia UniversityColumbia 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...
. He served as a Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
lieutenant in World War II.
He married Miriam Gottesman Wallach in 1938. He joined Gottesman & Company as Executive Vice President in 1946. He served as CEO from 1956 to 1979. During his tenure, the company grew to become the world’s largest private marketer of wood pulp
Wood pulp
Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, fibre crops or waste paper. Wood pulp is the most common raw material in papermaking.-History:...
, paper and newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
. He later served as chairman, then senior vice chairman until his death.
Activism and philanthropy
Ira David Wallach was born in New York City on June 3, 1909. He earned bachelor’s and law degrees from Columbia University and was a Navy lieutenant in World War II.In 1946 he joined Gottesman & Company, as it was then known, as executive vice president. He was the chief executive and a director of the company from 1956 to 1979, later serving as chairman and then senior vice chairman, the title he held at his death. During his tenure, the company, which is based in Purchase, N.Y., grew from a relatively small wood pulp distributor, into the world's preeminent privately owned marketer of pulp and paper, with offices in 26 U.S. cities, 17 countries and representatives in 40 international locations. Mr. Wallach was a man who refused accolades, and was much admired and adored by his company's employees.
In 1980, Mr. Wallach co-founded the Institute for East West Security Studies, now known as the EastWest Institute
EastWest Institute
The EastWest Institute , originally known as the Institute for East West Security Studies, is an international not-for-profit, non-partisan "think and do" tank focusing on international conflict resolution through a variety of means, including track 2 diplomacy and track 1.5 diplomacy , hosting...
, a research group that focuses on international political, economic and security issues.
In a career of more than 70 years, he was a lawyer and businessman with interests in philanthropy and in global economic and political affairs. With his wife Miriam, he created a charitable foundation whose beneficiaries included the New York Public Library, Columbia University, the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mr. Wallach was an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War and many policies of the Nixon administration. He was named in a White House memorandum listing Nixon’s “political opponents,” one step down from the notorious “enemies list” — people who were singled out for tax audits and other problems.