Seymour Parker Gilbert III (November 15, 1933 – May 27, 2015) was Chairman of Board and President of

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients in ...

from 1983 until 1990.

Career

While Gilbert was the Chairman of Board and President of

from 1983 until 1990, the number of employees at the firm grew from 2,600 to 6,800. Equity grew from $207 million to more than $2 Billion. Gilbert led the company through an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

in 1986. Gilbert joined Morgan Stanley in 1960 and became a partner in 1969. He became a managing director in 1970. In 1974, he became a member of the Management Committee.

Group of eight

In 2005, Gilbert joined with seven other former partners of Morgan Stanley to form the 'Group of Eight'. The Group of Eight is widely credited with forcing the ouster of Philip J. Purcell and his replacement with John Mack.

Board of Directors and Trustees activity

Gilbert served on the board of directors of:

Burlington Resources Burlington Resources Inc. was a company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration. In 2006, the company was acquired by ConocoPhillips. History In 1988, the company was formed to own the resource assets of Burlington Northern Railroad. The company became ...

(1990–2001),

ITT Corporation ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesses ...

(1991–1995),

ITT Industries ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesse ...

(1995–1999), Morgan Stanley Group, Inc. (1986–1997), the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

(1986–1990), Taubman Centers, Inc. (1992-2004), and

Bessemer Securities Bessemer Trust is a private, independent multi-family office that oversees more than $200 billion for over 3,000 families, foundations and endowments. Founded in 1907, the firm has its headquarters in New York City, with 19 regional offices elsewh ...

. He also served on the board of trustees of: the

Pierpont Morgan Library The Morgan Library & Museum (originally known as the Pierpont Morgan Library and colloquially known the Morgan) is a museum and research library in New York City, New York, U.S. Completed in 1906 as the private library of the banker J. P. Morg ...

, the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation.

Personal life

Gilbert was the son of diplomat

Seymour Parker Gilbert Seymour Parker Gilbert (October 13, 1892 - February 23, 1938) was an American lawyer, banker, politician and diplomat. He is chiefly known for being Agent General for Reparations to Germany, from October 1924 to May 1930. Afterwards, in 1931, he ...

. Following the death of his father, Gilbert's mother married

Harold Stanley Harold Stanley (October 2, 1885 – May 14, 1963) was an American businessman and one of the founders of Morgan Stanley in 1935. For 20 years, he ran Morgan Stanley until he left the firm in 1955. Early life Stanley was born in Great Barring ...

, one of the founders of

. Henry Sturgis Morgan, the other founder, was Gilbert's godfather. Gilbert attended Buckley School and

Hotchkiss School The Hotchkiss School is a private college-preparatory day and boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut. It educates approximately 600 students in grades 9–12, plus postgraduates. Founded in 1891, it was one of the first English-style boardi ...

and graduated 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 ...

in 1956 and served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

until 1959. With his wife Gail Auchincloss, he had three children. His son, S. Parker Jr., known as Parker; a daughter, Lynn Tudor; and another son, the writer David Gilbert; as well as eight grandchildren. On May 27, 2015, Gilbert died in New York City at the age of 81 from

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

References

External links

Morgan Stanley Chairman to Retire

Book Excerpt
from '' Blue Blood & Mutiny: The Fight for the Soul of Morgan Stanley'' by Patricia Beard
The Group of Eight

Bloomberg TV Interview with James Gorman, John Mack & Parker Gilbert
1933 births Businesspeople from New York City Yale University alumni 2015 deaths Morgan Stanley employees 20th-century American businesspeople Buckley School (New York City) alumni Hotchkiss School alumni {{US-business-bio-1930s-stub