Richard Gimbel
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Richard Gimbel (July 26, 1898 – May 27, 1970) was an American businessman,
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
veteran, and book collector who served as president of curator of aeronautical literature at the
Yale University Library The Yale University Library is the library system of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Originating in 1701 with the gift of several dozen books to a new “Collegiate School," the library's collection now contains approximately 14.9 m ...
.New York Times: "Col. Richard Gimbel Dies at 71; Flier Was Yale Library Curator"
May 28, 1970


Biography

Gimbel was born July 26, 1898, in Atlantic City, the son of Ellis A. Gimbel and Minnie (née Mastbaum). His father was chairman of the board at the Gimbel Brothers Company which his grandfather,
Adam Gimbel Adam Gimbel (May 16, 1817 – June 28, 1896) was the founder of the Gimbels, Gimbel Brothers Company. Biography Gimbel was born to a German Jews, Jewish family in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate, then a part of Bavaria, in 1817 where he work ...
, founded in
Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in, and the county seat of, Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. It was founded in 1732 by F ...
in 1842. His mother was the sister of theatre owner Jules Mastbaum who was married to
Etta Wedell Mastbaum Etta Wedell Mastbaum (September 6, 1886 – November 1, 1953) was an American philanthropist, department store executive, art collector, and director of a national chain of motion picture theaters. Biography Born Etta Lit Wedell to a Jewish famil ...
. Gimbel studied in Europe and graduated with a B.A. from
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
with honors in 1920. He served with the 310th Field Artillery Regiment during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
rising from private to first lieutenant. After taking a year off to travel the world, Gimbel worked for his family's business overseeing the construction of their
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
store in 1927 and then as a vice president of Gimbel Brothers Company. In 1935, he left Gimbel Brothers after a dispute with his cousin
Bernard Gimbel Bernard Feustman Gimbel (April 10, 1885 – September 29, 1966) was an American businessman and president of the Gimbels department store. Biography Gimbel was born to American Jews, Jewish parents, Rachel (née Feustman) and Isaac Gimbel, son o ...
over strategy and moved to
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where he profitably ran a Richards store. In 1940, he joined the Army Air Corp as a lieutenant colonel and with the
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...
as a pilot during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In 1951, he was appointed Professor of Air Science and Tactics at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
. In 1953, he retired as full colonel in 1953 and stayed with the library as curator of aeronautical literature. He was also a fellow of
Pierson College Pierson College is a residential college at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Opened in 1933, it is named for Abraham Pierson, a founder and the first rector of the Collegiate School, the college later known as Yale. With just under ...
.


Book collection

In 1942, during the London blitz, he visited a bombed‐out bookstore in London and purchased a trunk of aeronautical books. Thereafter, he was a voracious collector of books, specializing in
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
,
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
, and
Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In ...
in addition to anything aeronautical. He purchased the Philadelphia home of Edgar Allan Poe, filled it with his non-aeronautical collection, and presented it to the city of Philadelphia as the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. Upon his death, he had over 100,000 items in his aeronautical collection.


Personal life

Gimbel was married to Julia de Fernex Millhiser. They had two sons,
Roger Gimbel Roger Gimbel (March 11, 1925 – April 26, 2011) was an American television producer who specialized in television movies. Many of Gimbel's television films dealt with real-life events, including '' Chernobyl: The Final Warning'', '' S.O.S. Titan ...
and Dan Gimbel; and five daughters, Sally Gimbel Taussig, Ann Gimbel Goff, Joyce Gimbel Trifield, Patricia Gimbel Lewis, and Pamela Gimbel Lehman.New York Times: "Amy Cassidy, Zachary Lehman"
August 18, 1996
On May 27, 1970, Gimbel died of a heart attack in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gimbel, Richard 1898 births 1970 deaths American retail chief executives American people of German-Jewish descent American book and manuscript collectors Yale University alumni
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Air Force officers Mastbaum family United States Army personnel of World War I