Bram Goldsmith

Bram Goldsmith was born in 1923 in Chicago, Illinois,[2] where he grew up.[1][3] His father was Max Goldsmith and his mother, Bertha.[1]

Goldsmith graduated from the University of Illinois, where he studied finance and business administration.[4][5] After graduation, he served in the United States Army Air Corps for three and a half years, spending eighteen months in Burma.[4][5]

Goldsmith served as president and chief executive officer of the Buckeye Realty and Management Corporation and the Buckeye Construction Company for twenty-five years.[4][5][3][6] It was the largest privately owned real estate development company in California at the time.[4][5] It built over thirty office towers in Beverly Hills, California.[3][6] The loans for their construction were secured through the City National Bank.[6]

Goldsmith was elected to the board of directors of City National Bank in 1964, when Alfred S. Hart was chairman and Benjamin N. Maltz (1901–1993), president.[3][4][6] He served as its chief executive officer for twenty years, from 1975 to 1995, and as its chairman from 1975 to 2013.[4][5][6][7][8][9] During his tenure, the bank's assets went from $600 million to $3.3 billion.[4] He served as its chairman emeritus and Board until his death.[4][6][10] He was sometimes referred to as the "banker to the stars," as the bank's clients under his included celebrities such as; Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Cher.[3][8][9] In 1984, he was the highest paid banker in the United States with US$3.1 million, more than the salaries of the CEOs of Bank of America, Citibank and Chase Manhattan combined.[3][9]

Goldsmith served on the board of directors of the Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 1981 to 1987.[4][5] He also served on the board of directors of Wynn Resorts.[5]

Goldsmith chaired the Los Angeles United Jewish Fund Campaign of 1965.[4] He served as president of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles in 1969 and 1970.[4][5][8][9] He also served as national chairman of the United Jewish Appeal from 1970 to 1974.[4][5] Additionally, he served as Los Angeles Chairman and national Board member of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.[4]

Goldsmith served as president of the Hillcrest Country Club from 1972 to 1975.[4][5][8][9] He also served on the board of trustees of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from 1979 to 1999.[4][5][8][9] From 1977 until his death in 2016, he served on the board of trustees of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[4][5][8][9] He was also chairman of the board of Region IV of the United Way and a member of its Central Board.[4] Additionally, he served as the Founding Chairman of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, until February 2013. Therein the 500-seat Goldsmith Theater is named in his honor.[4]

Goldsmith was married to Elaine Maltz, a sculptor and the daughter of Benjamin N. Maltz, the President of City National Bank.[9] They resided above Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California and had a secondary residence in Newport Beach, California.[9] Their youngest son, Russell Goldsmith, serves as chairman and chief executive officer of City National Bank.[3][6] Their other son Bruce Goldsmith is a published novelist, playwright and screenwriter.

Goldsmith died on February 28, 2016, at the age of 93.[1] The city of Beverly Hills named Bram Goldsmith Way in his honor on November 7, 2018.[11]