January 9, 2011 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Age at death: 90
Career in philanthropy: Mr. Goldman and his late wife, Rhoda Haas Goldman, in 1951 established a foundation that bears their names. The San Francisco fund has given more than $680-million to support groups in the San Francisco Bay Area and those that work to preserve the environment and promote Jewish affairs and reproductive rights. The couple founded the Goldman Environmental Prize, which annually awards $150,000 to six individuals who are grass-roots activists, one from each inhabitable continent.
Nonprofit affiliations: Mr. Goldman was president of the board of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties and served on the boards of the San Francisco Ballet, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the World Affairs Council of Northern California, the Commonwealth Club of California, and other organizations.
How he made his mark: A lifelong Republican, Mr. Goldman built a reputation for his zeal in tackling controversial issues that often ran contrary to his political affiliations. The environmental prize, for instance, was created in response to the 1988 murder of Brazilian antilogging activist Chico Mendes and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Amy Lyons, executive director of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, said he was a demanding man who pushed issues through the “sheer force of his will.”
Sources of his wealth: Mr. Goldman was the founder and chairman of Goldman Insurance Services, which was bought by Willis Group Holdings in 2001. His wife was an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune.
His beliefs: Until last year, Mr. Goldman came every day to the Goldman Fund’s offices. He advocated for a hands-off philosophy for grantees and urged fellow grant makers to give more from their endowments than the federal requirement of 5 percent to focus on the problems of today. Ms. Lyons says, “He always wanted to act immediately to relieve suffering.”
How he will be remembered: The actor and environmentalist Robert Redford said in a statement that Mr. Goldman “was among the first of a new breed—wealthy entrepreneurs who engage in social responsibility.” He added that Mr. Goldman’s commitment to protecting the environment was not just passionate but, more important, successful.
