Richard Hampton Jenrette

1929 - 2018

Richard Hampton Jenrette

Charleston, SC

Richard Hampton Jenrette quietly passed away on April 22, 2018, surrounded by family and loved ones after a several year battle with lymphoma. Mr. Jenrette was born in Raleigh, NC on April 5, 1929. He graduated from Broughton High School in Raleigh and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where he majored in Journalism and was elected in Phi Beta Kappa for his academic achievements. He served as the editor of the student-run newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, and was inducted into the Golden Fleece. He was a member of Chi Psi Fraternity for which he served as president. After college, he joined the United States Army as part of the Intelligence Corps proudly serving during the Korean War. After discharge from the Army, he returned to Raleigh where he briefly became a life insurance agent but, shortly thereafter, left Raleigh to attend Harvard Business School, where he received an MBA in 1957.

After business school, he worked for the brokerage firm Brown Brothers and Harriman until he co-founded the brokerage firm Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette with business school colleagues Bill Donaldson and Dan Lufkin. The firm was considered one of the first major brokerage houses started on Wall Street since the Great Depression and was frequently coined as the "House that Research Built." He served variously as chief executive officer, president and chairman of the board until the firm was acquired by Equitable Life Assurance Society of North America. Once again, he served in various positions until becoming the CEO and President of the company and guided the company through demutualization into a corporation, the first incidence of demutualization by a major insurance company in this country. As well as serving on the boards of DLJ and Equitable, he also served on the boards of the News and Observer Publishing Co. in Raleigh, NC, Roses Stores in Henderson, NC, AXA Insurance, Advanced Micro devices, McGraw Hill Publishing and The Blackstone Group.

Mr. Jenrette, often referred to as the "last gentleman on Wall Street," was not only a capable leader extraordinaire but also a mentor to numerous men and women on Wall Street. He not only helped women break the glass ceiling on Wall Street but also promoted many colleagues into the development of their own firms. He was an adviser to Presidents and hosted guests including Presidents, royalty, Heads of State, Nobel Prize winners, Supreme Court Justices, Governors, U.S. Senators and Representatives.

At times he served on the Board of Trustees for the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and the Board of Overseers of Harvard University, as well as the Board of Directors of the Historic Charleston Foundation, the Duke Endowment, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Hollings Cancer Center of the Medical University of South Carolina and served as Chairman of the Board of the Historic Hudson Valley. He received numerous honorary degrees from prestigious colleges and universities around the country including the University of North Carolina, The Citadel and Hamilton College. He was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in NC and the Order of the Palmetto in SC.

Although a titan of Wall Street, Mr. Jenrette also had a separate love for things of beauty. He was an avid collector of classical American Homes and American furniture. He put together one of the largest collections of Duncan Phyfe furniture in this country which is considered unparalleled in quality. He made a substantial investment in his adopted Charleston, SC, in the late 1960's when he led a partnership that built the Mills House Hotel, which provided a badly needed infusion of capital into the city at the time. He has restored over thirteen homes during his fifty year history of preservation. His collection of homes in New York State, New York City, North Carolina, South Carolina and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Island is considered one of the finest collections of classical architecture in this country. As a gift to posterity and as examples of good taste, he has created Classical American Homes Preservation Trust and the Richard H. Jenrette Foundation to preserve his seven properties, collections and surrounding landscapes for the future. For his work in preservation he was awarded the Louise DuPont Crowninshield Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Hadrian Award by the World Monuments Fund. In France, he received National Order of the Legion of Honor award, the highest French order of merit.

One of the core values of his firm, Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette was to "Have fun!" which he truly believed. How many nights did friends sit around until the wee hours of the morning singing show tunes, dancing around the house and taking late night swims! He particularly loved watching Tar Heel basketball, but on occasion was found to enjoy watching rival Duke University basketball!

Mr. Jenrette was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph M. Jenrette and Emma Love Jenrette; his sisters: Betty Jenrette and Aileen J. Newnham (Fred); brother, Joseph M. Jenrette, Jr. (Helen); and life friend and partner, William L. Thompson. He is survived by his nieces: Betty N. Romberg (Carl)Nancy N. Reynolds and Helen J. Wooddy (Aubrey); nephew, Joseph M. Jenrette III (Catherine); and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to especially thank the team of wonderful people in Charleston who helped care for Mr. Jenrette during the last months of his life, including Earnest Townsend, who has worked for Mr. Jenrette as a site manager and support provider for 35 years; and Karen Nolan, Shirley Davis and Andrea Culver who provided impeccable care for him. We will never forget their warmth and care for him during this period! Also, many thanks to those who constantly provided him with gifts of food and flowers.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC. DOWNTOWN CHAPEL.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Classical American Homes Preservation Trust at 69 E 93rd Street, New York, NY 10128 or at www.cahpt.org to keep alive his dream to preserve American beauty at its finest.