Frederick M. Warburg

Frederick Marcus Warburg
Born	(1897-10-14) October 14, 1897 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	July 10, 1973(1973-07-10) (aged 75) Winchester, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Financier, investment banker
Known for	Banking career at Kuhn, Loeb & Co., Lehman Brothers; Jewish philanthropy

Frederick Marcus Warburg (October 14, 1897 – July 10, 1973) was a Jewish-American financier based in New York.

Life

Born in New York City, Warburg was the son of banker Felix M. Warburg and Frieda Schiff Warburg. He belonged to the Jewish German-American Warburg family, with his maternal grandfather being Jacob Schiff.

His education included attendance at the Bovee School in New York City and the Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1915, he matriculated at Harvard College, where he served as editorial chairman of The Harvard Crimson and led the Reserve Officers' Training Corps as captain. He earned his A.B. degree in 1919 and completed Infantry Officers' Candidate School at Camp Lee, Virginia, during the First World War. Warburg maintained a nineteen-year tenure in the United States Army Reserve. Following graduation, he assessed relief operations for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee throughout Eastern Europe.

Warburg's career in investment banking spanned several firms: he worked at the American International Corporation from 1919 to 1921, joined M. M. Warburg & Co. between 1921 and 1922, was employed by Kuhn, Loeb & Co. from 1922 to 1927, and served at Lehman Brothers from 1927 to 1930. He attained partnership status at Kuhn, Loeb & Co. in 1931. During World War II, he was recommissioned as a major in 1942, advanced to lieutenant colonel, and took on the role of chief of athletics and recreation within Army Special Services before concluding his military career as a colonel in 1946.

Beyond banking, Warburg held numerous leadership positions: director of the Harvard Alumni Association (1939–1941), trustee of the American Museum of Natural History beginning in 1937, vice-chairman of the Greater New York Councils of the Boy Scouts of America (1934), president of the 92nd Street Y (1940), and director of the National Recreation Association (1938). Politically engaged as a progressive Republican, he joined the New York Republican County Committee in 1932. His memberships included prestigious organizations such as the Harvard Clubs located in both New York and Boston.

Warburg was extensively active within Jewish charitable circles, serving as director and chairman for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, vice-president of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, and board member of the American Jewish Committee. Additionally, he chaired the Fresh Air Fund and held trusteeships at Smith College alongside various cultural institutions. His corporate involvement extended to directorships with the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad among other companies.

He maintained homes in New York City and Cos Cob, Connecticut, while owning Snake Hill farm near Middleburg, Virginia. There, he bred show hunters and jumpers; notably, his horse Battle Day secured victory at the 1941 President's Cup during the Rhinebeck-Dutchess County Fair.

In 1946, Warburg married Wilma M. Shannon, a personnel executive with professional experience at R.H. Macy & Co., Selfridge Provincial Stores Ltd., USO service centers during World War II, Office of War Information, and UNRRA. The couple did not have children. Among his honors was the Silver Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Warburg passed away due to heart disease on July 10, 1973, at Memorial Hospital in Winchester, Virginia, close to his Snake Hill farm.