Robert A. Riesman, 85, business executive, philanthropist and Dem Party activist
Elliot
leading Rhode Island business executive, philanthropist and Democratic
Party activist, died Wednesday at Miriam Hospital.
Mr. Riesman excelled in so many fields that his friends viewed him as a
Renaissance figure: a man who was a decorated World War II veteran, an
expert on military strategy, a business leader and an adviser to
generations of Democratic political figures.
"He was a great American," said Sen. Jack Reed in an interview
yesterday. "He was one of the most cultured, decent men I have ever
met, a connoisseur of books and wine and art."
Reed, who spoke with Mr. Riesman about three or four times a week, said
he could expound on many topics, "from poetry to military strategy."
"I sought his advice about books, about politics and about life," Reed said.
Mr. Riesman was also close to former U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell, of
Newport. "Bob Riesman was a close friend and neighbor," said Pell's
wife, Nuala. "Claiborne is very upset about this. We are going to miss
him terribly. He did so much for us and for this state."
Said Rabbi Wayne Franklin of Temple Emanu-El in Providence, "He was a
giant of a man, extremely wise and generous with his wisdom."
Mr. Riesman was the husband of Marcia (Stone) Riesman. He was born in
Chelsea, Mass., on Jan. 25, 1919, the son of the late Joseph G. and
Sadie (Finkelstein) Riesman.
He graduated from Boston Latin School and was a 1940 honors graduate of
Harvard University. After graduation, he entered the Army as a second
lieutenant, field artillery. He served five years with the First
Infantry Division, three of them in North Africa, Sicily and Europe,
attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was awarded the Silver
Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, six Battle
Stars, the Assault Arrowhead, numerous campaign ribbons, and the French
Croix de Guerre and Medaille de Reconnaissance.
He joined the family business, the Royal Electric Co., in Pawtucket, in
1945, and when it was acquired by ITT in 1956, served as president
until 1961. He joined the Carol Cable Co., Pawtucket, and was president
until 1968, when he resigned to pursue private interests.
Active in Democratic politics, he was co-chairman of John F. Kennedy's
1960 presidential campaign in Rhode Island, and chairman of Lyndon
Johnson's local presidential campaign in 1964.
Mr. Riesman served as finance chairman for Frank Licht's successful bid
for governor of Rhode Island in 1968, while also working on Hubert
Humphrey's presidential campaign the same year. In 1976, he was Rhode
Island chairman for Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson's bid for the
Democratic presidential nomination.
From 1963 to 1969, he served as civilian aide to the secretary of the
Army, and when he left the post to become a member of the Rhode Island
Board of Regents for Education, he received the Distinguished Civilian
Service Medal, the highest award the Army can give a civilian. He
served on the Board of Regents until 1973, having become chairman in
1972. He served as trustee of the Association of the United States Army
for 10 years, and was chairman of its finance committee.
He served as general campaign chairman of the United Way of
Southeastern New England in 1972 and remained active in that
organization as a member of the executive committee and board, as well
as vice president for a number of years.
He had been active in the affairs of Providence College since 1964 and
received an honorary doctorate in business administration from PC in
1972. Elected to its corporation in 1974, he became a trustee in 1992,
chairing its finance committee for many years as well as the
President's Council and becoming trustee emeritus in 1998. From 1971 to
1977, he served on the visiting committee of the board of overseers of
Harvard University for the Graduate School of Education. In 1981, he
was elected a corporator of Northeastern University. He was a founding
trustee of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Active in local and national Jewish communal affairs, he was general
campaign chairman of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island in 1964,
1967 and 1968, and after serving as its vice president since 1970, was
president from 1974 to 1977. He was a member of the National Council of
the American Jewish Committee, was Rhode Island chairman of the Israel
Bond campaign in 1961, and served on its executive committee and on the
board of the Development Corporation for Israel.
He was a life trustee of the Miriam Hospital, the Jewish Home for the
Aged, and the American Technion Society, an overseer of the Jewish
Theological Seminary, a past board member of the Council of Jewish
Federations, and an honorary alumnus of Hebrew University, in
Jerusalem. A former vice president of Temple Emanu-El, he was an
honorary life trustee. He was a national vice president of the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee, having served as regional vice
president for New England, a member of the National Executive Committee
of the American Jewish Committee, and a trustee of the Jewish Institute
for National Security Affairs.
He was a member of the Jewish War Veterans, B'nai B'rith, and the
Anti-Defamation League. In 1979, he and his family dedicated the
Riesman Center for Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel, in Cambridge.
In 1976, he received the Brotherhood Award from the National Conference
of Christians and Jews, and was a recipient the next year of the Hope
Award from the Rhode Island State Council of the Knights of Columbus.
In 1977, he was commissioned a brevet colonel in the Newport Artillery
Company. In 1979, he received from the Rotary Club of Providence its
first Distinguished Citizen Award.
He was a director of the Old Stone Corp. and Old Stone Bank from 1967
to 1990, and a director of the Narragansett Electric Co. from 1979 to
1989.
He was a member of the Turks Head Club, the University Club, the Hope
Club, the Harvard Club of Boston since 1946, the Harvard Club of Rhode
Island, the Harvard Faculty Club, and the Palm Beach Country Club and
the Clambake Club of Newport.
Besides his wife, he leaves a son, Robert Riesman Jr. of Oak Park,
Ill.; a daughter, Jean Riesman of Jersey City, N.J.; two brothers,
Martin Riesman of Newton, Mass., and Eugene Reisman of Montreal; two
grandchildren; and 11 nephews and nieces.
A funeral service will be held tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. in Temple
Emanu-El. Burial will be in Sharon (Mass.) Memorial Park.