JOSEPH SARGENT

SARGENT--Joseph D.

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian) mourns the loss of our former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph D. Sargent, who passed away at the age of 79 on November 1, 2016. Mr. Sargent joined Guardian in 1959, immediately following his graduation from Fairfield University. He spent his entire career at Guardian, serving in various leadership roles, and ultimately retired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Guardian in 2002. He continued as a member of the Board of Directors until 2009. Under Mr. Sargent's leadership, Guardian maintained its growth and steady performance while diversifying and making an important decision to remain a mutual insurer. He ushered in the information age at Guardian with the introduction of email and the establishment of Guardian's first public website. Mr. Sargent also elevated Guardian's strategic planning efforts, oversaw the move of the company headquarters to Lower Manhattan, and led the merger with Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America that catapulted Guardian to a leadership position in individual disability income insurance which it still holds today. Mr. Sargent was CEO of Guardian on September 11, 2001, and under his leadership the Company continued to operate with very little interruption while focusing on addressing the needs of our policyholders and employees. Mr. Sargent was an active member and past chairman and director of many national and state insurance industry councils, including the Life Insurance Council of New York and The American Council of Life Insurers. Mr. Sargent served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of United Way of New York City and chaired its Audit and Finance Committees. He was also a Trustee of the Discovery Museum Foundation of Bridgeport and was a member of the Business Advisory Council of the School of Business at Baruch College. Mr. Sargent, a Fairfield, CT resident, was a member of the Fairfield University Dolan School of Business Advisory Council, and former member of the Board of Trustees of Fairfield University. He was the recipient of Fairfield University's Alumni Professional Achievement Award, and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Fairfield University in 2011. Mr. Sargent received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor as authorized by Congress, and was named a "Business 100" Honoree by Irish America magazine. Mr. Sargent was active in his church and was an avid boater, fisherman, and woodworker. He is survived by his wife, Sheilagh, six children (Moira, Colleen, Joseph P., Sean, Liam and Bridget), and 14 grandchildren. A wake will be held on Sunday, November 6, from 3 - 7pm at the Lesko & Polke Funeral Home, 1209 Post Road, Fairfield, CT, and a mass of Christian burial will be held on Monday, November 7 at 11:00am at St. Pius X Church, 834 Brookside Drive, Fairfield, CT. Donations in Mr. Sargent's memory can be made to The New York Foundling Hospital via www.nyfoundling.org