Marina von Neumann Whitman (March 6, 1935 – May 20, 2025) was an American economist, writer, and automobile executive. She was a professor of business administration and public policy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business as well as The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Biography

From 1979 until 1992, she was an officer of the

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

Corporation, first as vice president and chief economist, and later as vice president and group executive for public affairs, which included the Economics, Environmental Activities, Industry-Government Relations and Public Relations staffs. She also served as a director of several leading multinational corporations and research and policy institutions, including the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

and

Peterson Institute for International Economics The Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), known until 2006 as the Institute for International Economics (IIE), is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded by C. Fred Bergsten in 1981 and has been led by ...

. Prior to her appointment at GM, Whitman was a member of the faculty in the Department of Economics at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, beginning as an instructor in 1962 and becoming Distinguished Public Service Professor of Economics in 1973. She served as a member of the President's Council of Economic Advisers in 1972–73, while on leave from the university. She was a director at the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

between 1977 and 1987. She was also a onetime member of the Steering Committee of the

Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg Meeting (also known as the "Bilderberg Group", "Bilderberg Conference" or "Bilderberg Club") is an annual off-the-record forum established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally ...

. Whitman received a B.A. in government from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

(now Harvard University), graduating at the top of her class, and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. The author of many books, monographs and articles, she was the recipient of numerous fellowships, honors and awards, and holds honorary degrees from over twenty colleges and universities.

Personal life and death

Whitman was born in New York City on March 6, 1935. Her father was the

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

John von Neumann John von Neumann ( ; ; December 28, 1903 – February 8, 1957) was a Hungarian and American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist and engineer. Von Neumann had perhaps the widest coverage of any mathematician of his time, in ...

, one of the foremost mathematicians of the 20th century. She was married to Robert Freeman Whitman, professor of English at the

, from June 23, 1956, until his death in 2024. Whitman had two children and two grandchildren. Her stepbrother is George H. Kuper, former president and chief executive officer of the Council of Great Lake Industries and an independent consultant in the areas of public policy, environmental and energy issues. Her daughter, Dr. Laura Mariette Whitman (1964–2023), was a noted specialist in internal medicine and

out-patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other h ...

medical education 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 ...

. Whitman died at the age of 90 at a hospital in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...

on May 20, 2025, from pneumonia.

Published books

*''The Martian's Daughter. A Memoir'', The University of Michigan Press, 2012. * ''New World, New Rules: The Changing Role of the American Corporation'', Harvard Business School Press, 1999 * ''Reflections of Interdependence: Issues for Economic Theory and U.S. Policy'', University of Pittsburgh Press, 1979. * ''Government Risk-Sharing in Foreign Investment'', Princeton University Press, 1965

References

External links

Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Marina WhitmanOnline Archives of California: Marina von Neumann Whitman Papers, White House Central Files, 1971–1973Life with FatherMarina v.N. Whitman
at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitman, Marina Von Neumann 1935 births 2025 deaths 20th-century American economists American economics writers American manufacturing businesspeople American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent American women business executives American business executives Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Jewish American economists Jewish American non-fiction writers Jewish women writers General Motors executives Group of Thirty Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group Nixon administration personnel Procter & Gamble people Radcliffe College alumni Ross School of Business faculty Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy faculty Trustees of the Institute for Advanced Study United States Council of Economic Advisers University of Pittsburgh faculty American women economists Writers from New York (state) American women non-fiction writers

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

Deaths from pneumonia in Massachusetts