Lewis Rosenstiel
Lewis Solon Rosenstiel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 1976 (aged 84) Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, benefactor |
| Known for | Founder of Schenley Industries |
Lewis Solon Rosenstiel (July 21, 1891 – January 21, 1976) was a prominent American entrepreneur and benefactor, widely recognized as the creator of Schenley Industries, a major player in the liquor industry.
The Rosenstiel Award, established through the collaboration of Brandeis University and the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science at the University of Miami, commemorates both him and his spouse. Additionally, his charitable contributions supported the establishment of the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center at Brandeis University.
Early life and education
Rosenstiel was born into a Jewish household in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the child of Elizabeth (née Johnson) and Solon Rosenstiel. His educational background includes attendance at University School followed by Franklin Prep.
Career
His entry into the liquor business began with employment at Susquemac Distilling Company, owned by his uncle in Milton, Kentucky. During the 1920s, he launched Schenley Products Company, acquiring several distilleries, including a facility in Schenley, Pennsylvania authorized to produce medicinal whisky. Following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Schenley Distillers Company transitioned into a publicly traded firm and was renamed Schenley Industries in 1949.
Over time, Schenley expanded to become one of the largest liquor corporations in the United States, ranking among the "Big Four" alongside Seagram, National Distillers, and Hiram Walker. Rosenstiel stepped down from active management in 1968; soon after, Israeli financier Meshulam Riklis purchased Schenley. The company eventually changed hands to Guinness in 1987.
In 1971, Rosenstiel’s name surfaced during congressional hearings that connected him to a bootlegging syndicate.
Personal life
Throughout his life, Rosenstiel was married five times: to Dorothy Heller; Leonore Cohn (who was related to Harry Cohn, founder of Columbia Pictures); Louise Rosenstiel; Susan Kaufman; and finally Blanka Wdowiak. His daughter Louise wed Sidney Frank, who achieved billionaire status through launching the vodka brand Grey Goose and promoting the German liqueur Jägermeister. His second wife Lee later married Walter Annenberg, served on the board of the Metropolitan Opera, and led the influential Annenberg Foundation. The legal proceedings surrounding his divorce from his fourth wife had an impact on U.S. divorce legislation. After Rosenstiel’s death in 1976, his fifth wife, Blanka A. Rosenstiel, took over leadership of the Rosenstiel Foundation.
Dorothy Heller, his first spouse, provided the initial funding that enabled Rosenstiel to establish Schenley Industries. His maternal lineage originally bore the surname Disraeli but changed it to Johnson following acquisition of a trading post in Ohio.
Relationship with Roy Cohn and J. Edgar Hoover
Rosenstiel collaborated with attorney Roy Cohn in creating the American Jewish League Against Communism. In 1975, shortly before Cohn’s death in 1986, he was disbarred for pressuring a semicomatose Rosenstiel into signing a fraudulent codicil to his will.
Moreover, Rosenstiel maintained a close association with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and was a significant benefactor to the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation.
Conyers Farm
In 1936, Rosenstiel purchased Conyers Farm, a vast 1,481-acre property located in Greenwich, Connecticut, previously owned by Edmund C. Converse, who was the inaugural president of Banker's Trust. The estate contained 52 rooms and covered a land area surpassing the combined size of both Central Park and Prospect Park. In 1980, the property was acquired by paper industry leader Peter Brant, who transformed it into 95 parcels of approximately ten acres each, which were sold to notable figures including Vince McMahon and Ron Howard.
Death
Rosenstiel passed away in early 1976 in Miami Beach, Florida, at the age of 84.