Ben W. Heineman Sr., of Chicago, died on August 5 at age 98. He was revered as a giant of his generationa brilliant lawyer, a far-sighted businessman, an adviser to presidents, governors and mayors, a prominent Chicago leader, a deeply committed supporter of opera and symphony, an influential trustee of the University of Chicago, and a world-class collector of contemporary glass.
These and many other accomplishments reflected a person of extraordinary character, integrity and, independence, whose life truly deserved the phrases "business statesman" and "Renaissance man." He was a warm, witty, wise and caring counselor to many and, ultimately, an exemplary citizen of his city, his state, and his country.
Ben was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, on February 10, 1914, six months before the start of World War I, the son of Walter Benjamin and Elsie Brunswick Heineman. After his family lost all its money in 1929, he attended the University of Michigan from 1930 to 1933 and then Northwestern Law School, graduating in 1936 at the top of his class and as the editor of the law review. His legal career spanned the next 20 years. He was a leading corporate lawyer in Chicago.