Donaldson C Pillsbury

Don grew up in Wayzata and attended Blake School through 8th grade. He prepared for Yale at St. Paul's School Following Yale, Don attended University College, Oxford where he earned a second B.A. degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Don then returned to New Haven and received his LL.B. degree from Yale Law School in 1967. In 1967 Don joined Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City where he became a partner for many years, and specialized in domestic and international banking and finance. Came out of retirement to become Sotheby’s worldwide general counsel in 1998. He could not have expected what lay ahead. In 2000 the auction house was charged with colluding with its chief competitor, Christie’s, to fix the price of commissions paid by sellers. The chairmen and chief executives of both houses were found to be conspirators, and A. Alfred Taubman, the chairman of Sotheby’s, went to prison. Mr. Pillsbury is survived by his wife, Marnie; a son, Donaldson Clark Pillsbury Jr., of San Francisco; two daughters, Blair Pillsbury Enders of Manhattan and Wendy Pillsbury Eichmann of Greenwich, Conn.; five grandchildren; and three siblings, John S. Pillsbury III, L. Harrison Pillsbury and Katharine Jose.