Milton Albert Wolf (May 29, 1924 – May 19, 2005) was an American diplomat, investment banker, and real estate developer from

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

Early life and education

Wolf earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the

Case Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

, as well as a Master's and PhD in economics from

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

. He also held a bachelor's degree in chemistry and biology from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

Career

Wolf was a Jewish community leader and Democratic Party contributor. In 1977, he was appointed by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Austria, holding the position until 1980. During his tenure as ambassador to Austria, Wolf represented the United States in the U.N. Conference on Science and Technology, served as chairman of the Fulbright Committee of Austria, and played a key role in arranging a meeting between President Carter and Soviet leader

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...

to sign the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (

SALT II The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) were two rounds of bilateral conferences and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War superpowers dealt with arms control in two rounds of ...

) in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

on June 19, 1979. Upon the conclusion of his diplomatic posting in 1980, Wolf founded a private investment firm Milton A. Wolf Investors. He was also president for 28 years of a construction company that developed several shopping centers and high-rise buildings in

Personal life

His wife of 53 years, Roslyn, passed away in 2001. They had four children: a son, Leslie Wolf, and three daughters, Caryn Wolf Wechsler, Dr. Nancy Wolf, and Sherri Wolf. He died of

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

on May 19, 2005. The funeral was held at the Park Synagogue in

Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. One of Cleveland's historic streetcar suburbs, it was founded as a village in 1903 and a city in 1921. History The area that is ...

and he was buried in the Bet Olam Cemetery also in Cleveland Heights.

Decorations and awards

* Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Austria * Golden Medal of Honour of Salzburg *

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science and Art" was established by the National C ...

(1997) *

Raoul Wallenberg Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. In ...

International Humanitarian Award (1994)

Professional affiliations

* Governor of the United Nations Association of the United States * Trustee of Case Western Reserve University * Member of the board of directors for the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University * Chairman of the American Austrian Foundation * Member of 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 ...

* Trustee of the Council on World Affairs

References

External links

Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Milton A. 1924 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American Jews Ohio Democrats Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Case Western Reserve University alumni Businesspeople from Cleveland American businesspeople in real estate Deaths from lymphoma People from Shaker Heights, Ohio Ambassadors of the United States to Austria Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American Jews