David Gottesman

David S. Gottesman, a protégé of Warren Buffett who built a powerful Wall Street investment house, First Manhattan, and presided over it for a half-century, died on in September 2022 at his home in Rye, N.Y. He was 96. His wife, Ruth Gottesman, confirmed the death.Harvard Business School grad became friends with Warren Buffett in 1962. Early investor in Berkshire Hathaway; today owns 10,000 shares worth $1.2 billion. Founded investment advisory firm First Manhattan 1964; assets were above $14 billion last December. On Berkshire board. With wife, Ruth, donated $25 million to Yeshiva University medical school this year. Mr. Gottesman began First Manhattan in 1964 with the profits from a venture in which he bought Computer Systems Inc., a bankrupt maker of computers used on missile ranges. Schlumberger Ltd., a major oil field company, took notice and sought to buy Computer Systems in its entirety, but Mr. Gottesman and his investors retained 20 percent. His investment in Mr. Buffett’s company, Berkshire Hathaway, of which he was a board member, that constituted the bulk of Mr. Gottesman’s fortune. Mr. Gottesman graduated from Harvard in 1950. In addition to Ms. Gottesman, he is survived by the couple’s sons, Robert, the executive chairman of First Manhattan, and William; their daughter, Alice; and six grandchildren.