Robert S. Pirie
Robert S Pirie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 2015 (aged 80) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, corporate executive |
| Years active | 1960s–2015 |
| Known for | Co-Chairman and CEO of Rothschild North America; Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns & Co.; Vice-Chairman of Investment Banking at SG Cowen Securities Corporation; rare Elizabethan literature collector |
Robert S Pirie (May 8, 1934 – January 15, 2015) was a distinguished American attorney and influential corporate leader.
Originating from Chicago, Pirie received his education at the Buckley School and the Hotchkiss School, subsequently earning degrees from both Harvard College and Harvard Law School. During the early phase of his professional journey, while stationed in Germany as a lieutenant in the United States Army, he developed a passion for collecting rare Elizabethan literature.
Throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s, Pirie practiced law with firms based in Boston and played an active role in the Harold Hughes political campaign, which resulted in his inclusion on the master list of Nixon political opponents. He later shifted his career focus to the financial sector, occupying prominent executive positions such as Co-Chairman and CEO at Rothschild, North America, Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns & Co., and Vice-Chairman of Investment Banking at SG Cowen Securities Corporation. He died in New York City in January 2015 at the age of 80.
The remarkable assemblage of rare books and manuscripts amassed by Pirie was sold through an auction conducted by Sotheby's in December 2015. Subsequently, in 2019, Nicolas Barker authored The Pirie Library: A Short-Title Catalogue of the Collection of Robert S Pirie, published by Bernard Quaritch, Ltd., which catalogs this notable collection.