Robert Guestier Goelet was an American philanthropist and executive at Chemical Bank, founded by the Goelet family in 1824.
Occupation
military personnel
Position held
President of the American Museum of Natural History
Citizenship
United States
Born
1923
Died
October 9, 2019
Overview
Robert Guestier Goelet (guh-LET; September 28, 1923 – October 9, 2019) was a prominent American philanthropist and former executive at Chemical Bank, founded by the Goelet family in 1824.
Early life
Goelet was born on September 28, 1923, at a chateau in Amblainville, France. He was a son of Anne Marie (née Guestier) Goelet, whose family were wine merchants (Barton & Guestier) and owned the 10,000 acre chateau, and Robert Walton Goelet. His mother was French and his father was American. His father, who owned the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York, donated the hotel to Harvard University after his death in 1941.
Goelet moved to New York at the age of 12, attended the Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard University in 1945 with a bachelor's degree in history.
Career
During World War II, Goelet trained as a Helldiver bomber pilot with the United States Navy, but he did not see combat. He later served as a Lt. in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Goelet also served as a member of the New York City Council.
