Gustave G. Amsterdam

Gustave G. Amsterdam was a real estate tycoon who was Albert M. Greenfield's hand-picked successor as chairman of the board at Bankers Securities Corporation from 1959 to 1979. As chairman he oversaw an investment firm that owned several businesses in multiple states, including the Philadelphia-based Yellow Cab Company, the Lit Bros. department store, and the Bellevue Stratford hotel. He also chaired the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority in the 1960s but was forced to resign over conflicts of interest when it was discovered that Bankers Securities financed Redevelopment Authority contracts and that Amsterdam had used his public position to enhance his private investments. Amsterdam was previously an attorney who worked for the Sundheim, Folz, & Sundheim law firm during the late 1930s when Philadelphia Inquirer owner Moses Annenberg had sued Albert Greenfield and five other parties for libel, though it is unclear what role (if any) Amsterdam had in the case.