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{{Short description|American businessman, ambassador, and delegate}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr.
|image =
|name = John Langeloth Loeb Jr.
|image_size =
|image =
|office = [[United States Ambassador to Denmark]]
|caption =
|president = [[Ronald Reagan]]
|birth_name = John Langeloth Loeb Jr.
|birth_date = May 2, 1930
|term_start = July 30, 1981
|birth_place = New York, New York
|term_end = September 13, 1983
|predecessor = [[Warren Demian Manshel]]
|death_date =
|successor = [[Terence A. Todman]]
|death_place =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1930|5|2}}
|death_cause =
|birth_place = New York City, US
|resting_place =
|death_date =
|resting_place_coordinates =
|death_place =
|known_for = Business, Philanthropy
|spouse = Nina Sundby<br>Meta Martindell Harrsen<br>Sharon J. Handler
|education =
|children = Alexandra Loeb Driscoll (with Sundby)<br>[[Nicholas M. Loeb|Nicholas Mears Loeb]] (with Harrsen)
|alma_mater = Harvard College <small>(B.A. ''cum laude'')</small> Harvard Business School <small>(M.B.A.)</small>
|parents = [[John Langeloth Loeb Sr.]]<br>Frances Lehman Loeb
|title = Ambassador
|spouse = Sharon J. Handler
|party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|alma_mater = [[Harvard College]],<br>[[Harvard Business School]]
|partner =
|website = {{URL|ambassadorloeb.com}}
|children =
|parents = John Langeloth Loeb, Sr. </br> Frances Lehman Loeb
|relatives =
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
}}
'''John Langeloth Loeb Jr.''' [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] (born May 2, 1930) is an American businessman, former [[United States Ambassador to Denmark]], and former Delegate to the [[United Nations]]. He is an advocate for religious freedom and [[separation of church and state]], having founded the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom in 2009. Loeb continues to serve as chairman of the George Washington Institute.
{{TOC limit|2}}


== Early life and education==
'''John L. Loeb Jr.''' (born May 2, 1930) is a businessman, philanthropist, art collector, and former [[United States Ambassador to Denmark]] (1981–1983)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/chiefsofmission/denmark |title=U.S. Department of State; Office of the Historian; Chiefs of Mission for Denmark |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref> and Delegate to the [[United Nations]] (1984).
John Langeloth Loeb, Jr. was born on May 2, 1930, in [[New York City]]. His parents were businessman [[John Langeloth Loeb Sr.]] (1902–1996) and [[Frances Lehman]] (1906–1996). Loeb's father and his paternal grandfather, [[Carl M. Loeb]] (1875–1955), were founders of [[Loeb, Rhoades & Co.]] Loeb's mother was a granddaughter of [[Mayer Lehman]] (1830–1897), one of the three founders of [[Lehman Brothers]]. Loeb is the grandson of Arthur Lehman (Senior Partner at Lehman Brothers and founding president of Lehman Brothers) and [[Adele Lewisohn Lehman]]. He is a great-grandson of [[Adolph Lewisohn]] and grand-nephew of former [[New York Governor]] and U. S. Senator [[Herbert H. Lehman]].<ref name=nyto/> His family is of [[Jewish]] ancestry.


Loeb and his father share the middle name Langeloth in honor of family friend and businessman John Jacob Langeloth (1852–1914).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Eli N |last2=Loeb |first2=John L |title=An American experience: Adeline Moses Loeb (1876-1953) and her early American Jewish ancestors |date=2009 |publisher=Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York; Distributed by Syracuse University Press |isbn=978-0982203200 |oclc=297811130|language=en}}</ref> Loeb received his M.B.A. in 1954 from [[Harvard Business School]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Loeb House - About Us - Harvard Business School|url=https://www.hbs.edu/about/campus-and-culture/campus-built-on-philanthropy/Pages/loeb-house.aspx|website=www.hbs.edu|language=en-us}}</ref>
Since 1979, Loeb has been chairman of Loeb, Rhoades Trust Company, successor to John L. Loeb Jr. Associates, Inc., Investment Counselors. Loeb is the founder of and owner of the Russian Riverbend Vineyards Ltd., which produces Sonoma-Loeb wines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonoma-loeb.com/index.htm |title=Sonoma-Loeb Wines |publisher=sonoma-loeb.com |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref>


==Government and public affairs==
He has sponsored publications and exhibitions on early American genealogy and family histories, and on [[Danish art]]. In 2009, he founded the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom,<ref>[http://www.gwirf.org gwirf.org]</ref> and serves as the chairman of the organization.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwirf.org |title=George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom |publisher=gwirf.org |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref>
On July 30, 1981, President [[Ronald Reagan]] appointed Loeb to the post of United States Ambassador to [[Denmark]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ronald Reagan: Nomination of John Langeloth Loeb, Jr., To Be United States Ambassador to Denmark|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=44070|website=www.presidency.ucsb.edu}}</ref> He served in this post until September 1983. Upon his return to the United States, he was appointed a delegate to the 38th session of [[United Nations]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Reagan Appoints 10 As Delegates to U.N.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/22/world/reagan-appoints-10-as-delegates-to-un.html|website=The New York Times|date=22 September 1983}}</ref> He also served as special advisor to Governor [[Nelson A. Rockefeller]] on environmental matters (1967–1973) and chairman of New York State Council of Environmental Advisors (1970–1975).<ref>{{cite web|title=Nominations & Appointments, June 10, 1983|url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/archives/speeches/1983/61083a.htm|website=www.reaganlibrary.gov}}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


Loeb was Chairman of the Keep New York State Clean Program (1971–1975). He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1992 and an alternate delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1988 and 1992.<ref name=nyto>{{cite news|last1=Pace|first1=Eric|title=John L. Loeb Sr. Dies at 94; Investor and Philanthropist|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/09/nyregion/john-l-loeb-sr-dies-at-94-investor-and-philanthropist.html|work=The New York Times|date=9 December 1996}}</ref>
==Business==
Loeb joined [[Loeb, Rhoades & Co.]] of New York City in 1956.<ref>"Wherever You Look, There's Loeb, Rhoades." ''Fortune Magazine''. By T. A. Wise. April 1963.</ref> He was a general partner from 1959–1973 and was then a limited partner until the firm’s 1979 acquisition by [[Shearson Hayden Stone]].<ref>[[Sanford I. Weill]], ''The Real Deal: My Life in Business and Philanthropy'', (New York: Warner business Books, 2006).</ref>


==Organization memberships==
Through the years, Loeb has served as director and/or chairman on the boards of:
Loeb is one out of a group of one-hundred trustees who work for the [[American-Scandinavian Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Board and Trustees |url=http://www.amscan.org/about/board-and-trustees/ |website=The American-Scandinavian Foundation}}</ref> Loeb is chairman of the board of trustees of the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States (see [[Churchill Scholarship]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=Winston Churchill Foundation of the USA|url=http://www.winstonchurchillfoundation.org/trustees.html|website=www.winstonchurchillfoundation.org}}</ref> Loeb serves on the board of advisors of the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University Medical Center.<ref>{{cite web|title=Viewpoint|url=https://www.columbiaeye.org/sites/default/files/Viewpoint_Newsletter_Winter_2017.pdf|website=Columbia University Medical Center|date=23 February 2022 |page=3}}</ref> From 1966 to 1994 Loeb served on the board of trustees of the Museum of the City of New York.
* Holly Sugar Corp – see [[Imperial Sugar]] and [[Great Western Sugar Company]]
* Atlantico del Golfo (Cuban Atlantic Sugar) – see [[Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company]] and [[Loeb, Rhoades & Co.]]
* John Morrell and Co.
* [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad]] and [[Rio Grande Industries]]
* [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]


==George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom==
==Philanthropy==
Loeb founded the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom (GWIRF) in 2009 with the goal of raising people' awareness about the roots of religious freedom and the separation of church and state in the United States and the importance of these principles.<ref name=rbg>{{cite thesis|last1=Gross|first1=Rachel Beth|title=Objects of Affection: The Material Religion of American Jewish Nostalgia|degree=Ph.D.|publisher=[[Princeton University]]|id=Document No.3642087{{ProQuest|1629746283}}|via=ProQuest Dissertations Publishing|date=September 2014|location=Princeton, NJ|chapter='Feel the History at Your Feet': Historic Synagogues as Heritage Sites|page=118|language=en}}</ref> Loeb serves as GWIRF's chairman.
He was a trustee of the [[Educational Testing Service]] (ETS) from 1986–1993 and a trustee of [[American University]] from 1985-1994. He served for almost 40 years as a trustee and ultimately chairman of the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation and for almost 30 years was on the board of the [[Museum of the City of New York]]. Loeb also served on the board of the [[International Rescue Committee]]. He is a trustee of the [[American-Scandinavian Foundation]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amscan.org/publications.html#pagelink_annualreport |title=American Scandinavian Foundation, Annual Report |accessdate= November 1, 2010}}</ref> and chairman of the Winston Churchill Foundation<ref>{{cite web |url=http://winstonchurchillfoundation.org/index.php?hide=1&section=Trustees |title=Winston Churchill Foundation Board of Trustees |publisher=winstonchurchillfoundation.org |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref> of the United States (see [[Churchill Scholarship]]). He served for several years on the board of the [[National Committee on American Foreign Policy]].
Loeb served on the visiting committee of the [[Harvard Board of Overseers]] to the [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]] (1980–1986) and to the [[Harvard Business School]] (1968–1979).
He is currently vice-chairman of the [[Council of American Ambassadors]]. He is most active as founder and chairman of the [[George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom]] (GWIRF), a not-for-profit organization promoting understanding of freedom of religion and separation of church and state in America.


=== Loeb Institute ===
==Government service==
In 2016, Loeb, through the John L. Loeb Jr. Foundation and the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, donated $2.5 million to establish the John L. Loeb Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom at George Washington University.<ref>{{cite web|title=Institute for Religious Freedom Will Move Education Programs to GW|url=https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/institute-religious-freedom-will-move-education-programs-gw|website=gwtoday.gwu.edu|language=en|date=17 January 2016}}</ref> The institute operates within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.<ref>{{cite web|title=Loeb Institute The George Washington University|url=https://loeb.columbian.gwu.edu/|website=loeb.columbian.gwu.edu|language=en}}</ref>
On 30 July 1981, President [[Ronald Reagan]] appointed Loeb to the post of United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=44070 |title=The American Presidency Project |publisher=presidency.ucsb.edu |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref> to [[Denmark]]. He served in this post until Sept 1983. Upon his return to the United States, he was appointed a Delegate to the 38th session of [[United Nations]].<ref>New York Times, 22 September 1983, "Reagan appoints 10 as Delegates to U.N."</ref>
He also served as special adviser to Governor [[Nelson A. Rockefeller]] on environmental matters (1967–1973); chairman of New York State Council on Environmental Advisors (1970–1975).<ref>Archives, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, "Speeches", July 10, 1981.</ref>


==Awards and honors==
==Interests==
On May 7, 1969, Loeb was made a Churchill Fellow of Westminster College in Fulton, MO, site of Winston Churchill's famous Iron Curtain speech.
===George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom===
The Institute, founded by Ambassador Loeb in 2009, promotes greater awareness of the historic roots of religious freedom, and the importance of separation of church and state in the U. S. Its efforts are targeted at introducing teachers and students to the principles expressed in George Washington's "Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, RI" of 1790.
The institute’s first project was to design, build, and operate the Loeb Visitors Center on the campus of Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island. For several years, there has been support for high school level essay writing contests on the George Washington letter, including programs at the Harrison Central School District, Westchester, NY; the Rogers High School, Newport, RI; the [[Hotchkiss School]], Lakeville, CT. In 2008/2009 a national essay contest was sponsored with the [[First Freedom Center]], Richmond, VA.
In 2010, the institute formed partnerships with the Bill of Rights Institute, Inc.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bill of Rights Institute, Inc. |url=http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org |publisher=billofrightsinstitute.org |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref> and with [[Facing History and Ourselves]], Inc.<ref>{{cite web |title=Facing History and Ourselves |url=http://www.facinghistory.org |publisher=facinghistory.org }}</ref> to provide civic education enrichment programs and awareness of the Washington letter to classrooms throughout the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwirf.org |title=George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom |publisher=gwirf.org |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref>


Upon leaving his ambassadorial post in 1983, [[Margrethe II of Denmark]] awarded him the Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Dannebrog]].<ref>"U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Is Decorated by Government", New York Times, September 13, 1983.</ref> She also bestowed a Danish crest and [[coat-of-arms]].
===Early American Jewish History===
Loeb’s philanthropic activities have also focused on the history and contributions of American Jews to the early history of the United States and the cause of religious liberty. Publications and museum exhibitions on these topics have been sponsored through the John L. Loeb Jr. Foundation, the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, and by Loeb personally. Projects include:
* Loeb Visitors Center at Touro Synagogue<ref>[http://www.loeb-tourovisitorscenter.org loeb-tourovisitorscenter.org]</ref> in Newport, Rhode Island;<ref>{{cite web |title=Loeb Visitors Center at Touro Synagogue |publisher=loebtouro.org |url=http://www.loeb-tourovisitorscenter.org |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref>
* financing the creation of the Adeline Moses Loeb Gallery at [[Fraunces Tavern Museum]] in New York City;
* ''The Jewish Community in Early New York, 1654-1800'', an exhibit featured at the [[Fraunces Tavern Museum]] in New York City, (1979);
* ''The Jewish Community in Early America, 1654-1830'', opened by President [[Gerald Ford]], an exhibit featured at the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] Museum Gallery in Washington, D.C. (1980);
* ''Tolerance and Identity: Jews in Early New York, 1654-1825''. [[Museum of the City of New York]], (2005).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcny.org/exhibitions/past/tolerance-and-identity-jews-in-early-new-york.html |title=Tolerance and Identity |publisher=mcny.org |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref>


In 1992, [[Elizabeth II]] created him a [[Commander of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Honorable John L. Loeb, Jr. |url=https://www.dcfdonorstories.org/major-gift-donors/john-loeb |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=DCF Donor Stories |language=en-US}}</ref>
===Book Publishing===
John L. Loeb Jr. traces one branch of his American ancestry to the colonial period. He has supported genealogical studies and sponsored the following books:
:'''Genealogy'''
* ''An American Experience, Adeline Moses Loeb and Her Early American Jewish Ancestors''. Contributors John L. Loeb Jr., Kathy L. Plotkin, Margaret Loeb Kempner, Judith E. Endelman, and David M. Kleiman with an introduction by Eli N. Evans. (New York: Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York; Syracuse University Press, 2009);
* ''The Lehmans: From Rimpar to the New World, a Family History''. By Roland Flade. (Wurzburg Germany: [[Königshausen & Neumann]], 1996).
* ''Lots of Lehmans, The Family of Mayer Lehman of Lehman Brothers, Remembered by His Descendants''. Edited by Kenneth Libo; foreword by John L. Loeb Jr. and William Lehman Bernhard. (New York, Syracuse University Press, 2007).


In 2010, he was invited to deliver the [[Herbert H. Lehman]] Memorial Lecture at Lehman College [[CUNY]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. to Deliver 41st Annual Herbert H. Lehman Memorial Lecture at Lehman College on March 25 – CUNY Newswire|url=http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2010/03/05/ambassador-john-l-loeb-jr-to-deliver-41st-annual-herbert-h-lehman-memorial-lecture-at-lehman-college-on-march-25/|website=www1.cuny.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-04-13|archive-date=2018-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414091925/http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2010/03/05/ambassador-john-l-loeb-jr-to-deliver-41st-annual-herbert-h-lehman-memorial-lecture-at-lehman-college-on-march-25/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also has an honorary [[Doctor of Laws]] degree from [[Georgetown University Law School]] (1980) and was Person of the Year in 2005 at the Danish American Society.<ref>{{cite web |title=Danish American Society |url=http://www.das-ny.org/moty2005_johnlloebjr.htm |publisher=das-ny.org |access-date=November 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120802023048/http://www.das-ny.org/moty2005_johnlloebjr.htm |archive-date=August 2, 2012 }}</ref><ref>[http://manhattansociety.typepad.com/chris_londons_manhattan_s/2005/11/american.html ''American Legacy'' Manhattan Society Report].</ref>
:'''History'''
* ''The Levy Family and Monticello, 1834-1923: Saving Thomas Jefferson’s House''. Dr. Melvin I. Urofsky (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2002);
* ''Louis D. Brandeis: A Life''. By Melvin I. Urofsky. (New York: Pantheon, 2010);
* ''A Holocaust Portfolio''. By Jeanie E. Neyer, introduction by Frederick S. Plotkin. (New York: Midmarch Arts Press, 1999).


===Danish Art===
==Personal life==
Loeb has been married three times.<ref name=AmbassadorLoeb>[http://www.ambassadorloeb.com/index.php/family Loeb website: Family] retrieved July 16, 2013</ref> In 1960, he married his first wife, Nina Sundby, with whom he has a daughter.<ref name=AmbassadorLoeb /> His second wife was Meta Martindell Harrsen with whom he has a son, [[Nick Loeb]]. In 2012, Loeb married his third wife, Sharon J. Handler.<ref name=AmbassadorLoeb />
Loeb began collecting Danish art when he was appointed Ambassador to [[Denmark]]. The assembled collection consists primarily of 18th, 19th and early 20th-century paintings, containing representative art from the [[“Danish Golden Age”]] (1820–1850), and including paintings by [[Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg]], [[Martinus Rørbye]], [[Constantin Hansen]], [[Christen Købke]] and [[Wilhelm Marstrand]]. Of primary importance in the collection are works from The [[Modern Breakthrough]] period (1870–1890) in Danish art, with works by the [[Skagen Painters]] including [[Anna Ancher]], [[Vilhelm Hammershøi]], and [[Peder Severin Krøyer]].


Loeb financed the creation of the Loeb Visitors Center at the [[Touro Synagogue]] National Historic Site in [[Newport, Rhode Island]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Loeb Visitor's Center at Touro Synagogue|url=http://ncarchitects.com/portfolio/item/loeb-visitors-center-at-touro-synagogue-%E2%80%A2-newport-ri/|website=Northeast Collaborative Architects|publisher=ncarchitects.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217063649/https://ncarchitects.com/portfolio/item/loeb-visitors-center-at-touro-synagogue-%E2%80%A2-newport-ri/|archive-date=Feb 17, 2020|quote=In 1998, a vision for a new building framing the western edge of Touro Synagogue’s property was initiated by Ambassador John L. Loeb who is the founder of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom. Loeb imagined an educational center that would house his collection of Colonial portraits and explain how RI championed religious liberty, tolerance, and separation of church and state in Colonial America.}}</ref>
====''The Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. Danish Art Catalog''====
In 2005, Loeb commissioned the publication of a catalog of his collection. Full-color images of 128 paintings are accompanied by critical commentary and research on Loeb’s collection by Danish art historians Elisabeth Fabritius, Suzanne Ludvigsen and Mette Thelle, and American art historian Benedicte Hallowell. The catalog also contains detailed biographies of the 63 artists represented. It is available in its entirety online at the "Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. Danish Art Collection" website.<ref> [http://www.loebdanishartcollection.com loebdanishartcollection.com]</ref>
Loeb also supported the publication of ''In Another Light: Danish Painting in the Nineteenth Century'', by Patricia G. Berman New York: Vendome Press, 2007.


====Exhibits====
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
The following exhibits were about or included works from the Loeb Danish art collection:
:'''Full Exhibitions'''
* [[Bruce Museum of Arts and Science]], Greenwich, CT, “Danish Paintings of the Nineteenth Century from the collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr.” March 19-June 19, 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=
http://brucemuseum.org/site/exhibitions_detail/danish_paintings_of_the_19th_century_from_the_collection_of_ambassador_john/ |title=Danish Paintings of the 19th Century from the Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr |publisher=brucemuseum.org |accessdate=November 11, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center]], [[Vassar College]], Poughkeepsie, NY, “Danish Paintings of the Nineteenth Century from the collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr.” March 19-June 19, 2005.
* [[Busch-Reisinger Museum]], “Danish Paintings of the Nineteenth Century from the Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr.” (Harvard University Art Museum Gallery Series No. 8) Jan. 22-April 24, 1994.


==External links==
:'''Loans of Individual Paintings'''
* [http://gwirf.org George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom]
* [[American-Scandinavian Foundation]], New York, New York – “Luminous Modernism: Scandinavian Art Comes to America 1912 - October 25, 2011—February 11, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Luminous Modernism: Scandinavian Art Comes to America 1912," Scandinavia House |url=http://www.scandinaviahouse.org/events_exhibitions_current.html|accessdate=November 11, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Brigham Young University]], Provo, Utah – “Out of Obscurity: Carl Bloch.” – October 21, 2010–May 28, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Carl Bloch: The Master's Hand," Marian Adelaide Morris Cannon Gallery |url=http://moa.byu.edu/index.php?id=1809 |publisher=moa.byu.edu |accessdate=November 11, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Royal Academy]] of Arts, London, England, “Vilhelm Hammershøi Retrospective (1864-1916).” – June 24–September 7, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vilhelm Hammershøi: The Poetry of Silence |url=http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/hammershoi/ |publisher=royalacademy.org.uk |accessdate=November 11, 2010}}</ref>
* [[National Museum of Western Art]], Tokyo, Japan “Vilhelm Hammershøi Retrospective (1864-1916).” – September 30, 2008–December 7, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vilhelm Hammershøi: The Poetry of Silence |url=http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/exhibitions/past/2008_213.html/ |publisher=nmwa.go.jp |accessdate=November 11, 2010 }}</ref>
* [[The Hirschsprung Collection]], Copenhagen, Denmark, “Frederik Sodring Exhibition.” August 25, 2000 – January 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ruined Castles and Wild Waterfalls. The Painter Frederik Sødring 1809-1862 |url=http://www.hirschsprung.dk/Default.asp?ID=989 |publisher=hirschsprung.dk }}</ref>
* [[Kvindemuseet i Danmark]] (The Women’s Museum in Denmark), Aarhus, Denmark – 1999.
* [[Gammel Holtegård]], Copenhagen “Portraits from a Marriage – Marie and P.S. Krøyer.” – 1999.
* [[Skagen|Skagen’s Museum]], Skagen, Denmark – 1999.
* [[Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum]], New York City, “Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) Danish Painter of Solitude and Light.” – June 19-September 7, 1998.


{{s-start}}
===Early American Jewish Portraiture===
{{s-dip}}
In cooperation with the American Jewish Historical Society,<ref>{{cite web |title=Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. Biography |publisher= American Jewish Historical Society |url=http://www.ajhs.org/reference/loeb/bio.cfm |publisher=ajhs.org |accessdate=November 11, 2010}}</ref> Loeb funded the development of ''The Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. Database of Early American Jewish Portraits'', containing images of all known painted portraits of American Jews before 1865. The database includes a short biography of each subject along with artist and repository attributions. The database can be accessed<!-- dead link at [http://www.loebjewishportraits.org www.loebjewishportraits.org] or --> through the [[American Jewish Historical Society]].<ref>[http://www.ajhs.org ajhs.org]</ref>
{{succession box
|title=[[United States Ambassador to Denmark|U.S. Ambassador to Denmark]]
|before=[[Warren Demian Manshel]]
|after=[[Terence Todman]]
|years=1981–1983
}}
{{s-end}}
{{US Ambassadors to Denmark}}
{{Lehman family}}


{{Authority control}}
==Family==
Loeb was born in New York City on May 2, 1930, to businessman John Langeloth Loeb Sr. (1902–1996) and Frances Lehman (1906–1996). His mother was a direct descendant of Meyer Lehman (1830–1897), one of the three original founders of [[Lehman Brothers#History|Lehman Brothers]] banking family. He is a great-grandson of [[Adolph Lewisohn]] and grand-nephew of former New York Governor and U. S. Senator [[Herbert H. Lehman]]. Ambassador Loeb's father and paternal-grandfather, Carl M. Loeb (1875–1955), were founders of [[Loeb, Rhoades & Co.]]
Ambassador Loeb and his father share the middle name Langeloth. This comes in honor of family friend and businessman John Jacob Langeloth (1852–1914)<ref>''An American Experience, Adeline Moses Loeb and Her Early American Jewish Ancestors''. Contributors John L. Loeb Jr., Kathy L. Plotkin, Margaret Loeb Kempner, Judith E. Endelman, and David M. Kleiman with an introduction by Eli N. Evans. (New York: Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, 2009). See also [[Langeloth, Pennsylvania]].</ref>
Loeb's son, Nick Loeb, is a former candidate for Florida's state senate, and, before his withdrawal from the race, a Republican candidate for [[United States]] from [[United States Senate election in Florida, 2012|Florida in 2012]]. As of 2011 he is the boyfriend of actress [[Sofia Vergara]].<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.rollcall.com/news/Nick-Loeb-Florida-Senate-2012-decline-210442-1.html
|magazine = Roll Call Politics
|date = 2011-11-17
|accessdate = 2011-11-26
|first = Joshua
|last = Miller
|title = Sofia Vergara beau won't run for Senate
}}</ref>Loeb's former wife and the mother of son Nick was Meta Bauer who committed the notorious "The Leader Murders" in 1996.<ref>http://www.goleader.com/05tiw/39.pdf</ref> <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/05/nyregion/newspaper-publisher-s-wife-kills-him-and-then-herself.html</ref>


{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeb, John Langeloth, Jr.}}
==Education==
He is a 1952 B.A. ''cum laude'' graduate of [[Harvard College]], and received his M.B.A. in 1954 from [[Harvard Business School]]. He served as First Lieutenant in the [[United States Air Force]] from 1954 to 1956. Loeb holds an honorary Doctorate of Laws from [[Georgetown University Law School]].

==Awards and Honors==
Upon leaving his ambassadorial post in 1983, Her Royal Highness [[Queen Margrethe II of Denmark]] gave Ambassador Loeb the equivalent of a Danish knighthood through the awarding of the Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Dannebrog]].<ref>"U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Is Decorated by Government", New York Times, September 13, 1983.</ref> She also bestowed a Danish crest and [[coat-of-arms]]. The Danish crest and arms were used as the basis for the British crest and [[coat-of-arms]] given to the Ambassador by Her Royal Highness [[Queen Elizabeth II]] and registered with the [[College of Heralds]].
Loeb speaks frequently on religious freedom in America. In 2010, he was invited to deliver the [[Herbert H. Lehman]] Memorial Lecture at Lehman College [[CUNY]]. He was the first direct relative of [[Herbert H. Lehman]] to receive the honor. His lecture, ''Beyond Tolerance'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lehman.edu/lehmantoday/2010_05/a_beyond.html |title=Beyond Tolerance |author=Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. |publisher=Lehman Today |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref> was an exploration of the history and contemporary relevance of George Washington’s 1790 “Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport Rhode Island”.

In addition to the above mentioned and other awards, he has been honored by:
* The John Clarke Society, Laureate of the Year (2009)
* The Danish American Society, Person of the Year (2005)<ref>{{cite web |title=Danish American Society |url=http://www.das-ny.org/moty2005_johnlloebjr.htm |das-ny.org |accessdate=November 1, 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://manhattansociety.typepad.com/chris_londons_manhattan_s/2005/11/american.html ''American Legacy'' Manhattan Society Report].</ref>
* The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, Connecticut, Hotchkiss Holiday in Honor of John L. Loeb Jr. (1998);
* The Harvey School, Katonah, New York, Distinguished Alumnai Award (1994);
* The [[Sons of the Revolution]] in the State of New York, the Distinguished Patriots Award (1993);
* the [[Zionist Organization of America]], the Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award (1986);
* The [[American Jewish Historical Society]], the Lee Max Freidman Award (1981);
* The Hebrew Benevolent Society in Charleston, South Carolina;
* In 1994, he was decorated by Her Royal Highness [[Queen Elizabeth II]] as Commander of the Most Excellent [[Order of the British Empire]] (C.B.E) in honor of his contributions to the Winston Churchill Foundation.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://gwirf.org George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom]
* [http://loeb-tourovisitorscenter.org Loeb Visitors Center at Touro Synagogue, Newport, RI]
* [http://tourosynagogue.org Touro Synagogue, Newport, RI]
* [http://www.sonoma-loeb.com Sonoma-Loeb Wines]
* [http://www.goleader.com/05tiw/39.pdf]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/05/nyregion/newspaper-publisher-s-wife-kills-him-and-then-herself.html]

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Loeb, John Langeloth
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = May 2, 1930
| PLACE OF BIRTH = New York, New York
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeb, John Langeloth}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Denmark]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:American philanthropists]]
[[Category:Florida Republicans]]
[[Category:Florida Republicans]]
[[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Denmark]]
[[Category:Hotchkiss School alumni]]
[[Category:Lehman family]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Family of Carl M. Loeb]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]

Latest revision as of 23:54, 23 November 2024

John Langeloth Loeb Jr.
United States Ambassador to Denmark
In office
July 30, 1981 – September 13, 1983
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byWarren Demian Manshel
Succeeded byTerence A. Todman
Personal details
Born (1930-05-02) May 2, 1930 (age 94)
New York City, US
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Nina Sundby
Meta Martindell Harrsen
Sharon J. Handler
ChildrenAlexandra Loeb Driscoll (with Sundby)
Nicholas Mears Loeb (with Harrsen)
Parent(s)John Langeloth Loeb Sr.
Frances Lehman Loeb
Alma materHarvard College,
Harvard Business School
Websiteambassadorloeb.com

John Langeloth Loeb Jr. CBE (born May 2, 1930) is an American businessman, former United States Ambassador to Denmark, and former Delegate to the United Nations. He is an advocate for religious freedom and separation of church and state, having founded the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom in 2009. Loeb continues to serve as chairman of the George Washington Institute.

Early life and education

[edit]

John Langeloth Loeb, Jr. was born on May 2, 1930, in New York City. His parents were businessman John Langeloth Loeb Sr. (1902–1996) and Frances Lehman (1906–1996). Loeb's father and his paternal grandfather, Carl M. Loeb (1875–1955), were founders of Loeb, Rhoades & Co. Loeb's mother was a granddaughter of Mayer Lehman (1830–1897), one of the three founders of Lehman Brothers. Loeb is the grandson of Arthur Lehman (Senior Partner at Lehman Brothers and founding president of Lehman Brothers) and Adele Lewisohn Lehman. He is a great-grandson of Adolph Lewisohn and grand-nephew of former New York Governor and U. S. Senator Herbert H. Lehman.[1] His family is of Jewish ancestry.

Loeb and his father share the middle name Langeloth in honor of family friend and businessman John Jacob Langeloth (1852–1914).[2] Loeb received his M.B.A. in 1954 from Harvard Business School.[3]

Government and public affairs

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On July 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed Loeb to the post of United States Ambassador to Denmark.[4] He served in this post until September 1983. Upon his return to the United States, he was appointed a delegate to the 38th session of United Nations.[5] He also served as special advisor to Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller on environmental matters (1967–1973) and chairman of New York State Council of Environmental Advisors (1970–1975).[6]

Loeb was Chairman of the Keep New York State Clean Program (1971–1975). He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1992 and an alternate delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1988 and 1992.[1]

Organization memberships

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Loeb is one out of a group of one-hundred trustees who work for the American-Scandinavian Foundation.[7] Loeb is chairman of the board of trustees of the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States (see Churchill Scholarship).[8] Loeb serves on the board of advisors of the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University Medical Center.[9] From 1966 to 1994 Loeb served on the board of trustees of the Museum of the City of New York.

George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom

[edit]

Loeb founded the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom (GWIRF) in 2009 with the goal of raising people' awareness about the roots of religious freedom and the separation of church and state in the United States and the importance of these principles.[10] Loeb serves as GWIRF's chairman.

Loeb Institute

[edit]

In 2016, Loeb, through the John L. Loeb Jr. Foundation and the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, donated $2.5 million to establish the John L. Loeb Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom at George Washington University.[11] The institute operates within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.[12]

Awards and honors

[edit]

On May 7, 1969, Loeb was made a Churchill Fellow of Westminster College in Fulton, MO, site of Winston Churchill's famous Iron Curtain speech.

Upon leaving his ambassadorial post in 1983, Margrethe II of Denmark awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog.[13] She also bestowed a Danish crest and coat-of-arms.

In 1992, Elizabeth II created him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[14]

In 2010, he was invited to deliver the Herbert H. Lehman Memorial Lecture at Lehman College CUNY.[15] He also has an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Georgetown University Law School (1980) and was Person of the Year in 2005 at the Danish American Society.[16][17]

Personal life

[edit]

Loeb has been married three times.[18] In 1960, he married his first wife, Nina Sundby, with whom he has a daughter.[18] His second wife was Meta Martindell Harrsen with whom he has a son, Nick Loeb. In 2012, Loeb married his third wife, Sharon J. Handler.[18]

Loeb financed the creation of the Loeb Visitors Center at the Touro Synagogue National Historic Site in Newport, Rhode Island.[19]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Pace, Eric (9 December 1996). "John L. Loeb Sr. Dies at 94; Investor and Philanthropist". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Evans, Eli N; Loeb, John L (2009). An American experience: Adeline Moses Loeb (1876-1953) and her early American Jewish ancestors. Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York; Distributed by Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0982203200. OCLC 297811130.
  3. ^ "Loeb House - About Us - Harvard Business School". www.hbs.edu.
  4. ^ "Ronald Reagan: Nomination of John Langeloth Loeb, Jr., To Be United States Ambassador to Denmark". www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
  5. ^ "Reagan Appoints 10 As Delegates to U.N." The New York Times. 22 September 1983.
  6. ^ "Nominations & Appointments, June 10, 1983". www.reaganlibrary.gov.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Board and Trustees". The American-Scandinavian Foundation.
  8. ^ "Winston Churchill Foundation of the USA". www.winstonchurchillfoundation.org.
  9. ^ "Viewpoint" (PDF). Columbia University Medical Center. 23 February 2022. p. 3.
  10. ^ Gross, Rachel Beth (September 2014). "'Feel the History at Your Feet': Historic Synagogues as Heritage Sites". Objects of Affection: The Material Religion of American Jewish Nostalgia (Ph.D. thesis). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University. p. 118. Document No.3642087ProQuest 1629746283 – via ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
  11. ^ "Institute for Religious Freedom Will Move Education Programs to GW". gwtoday.gwu.edu. 17 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Loeb Institute The George Washington University". loeb.columbian.gwu.edu.
  13. ^ "U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Is Decorated by Government", New York Times, September 13, 1983.
  14. ^ "The Honorable John L. Loeb, Jr". DCF Donor Stories. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  15. ^ "Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. to Deliver 41st Annual Herbert H. Lehman Memorial Lecture at Lehman College on March 25 – CUNY Newswire". www1.cuny.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  16. ^ "Danish American Society". das-ny.org. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  17. ^ American Legacy Manhattan Society Report.
  18. ^ a b c Loeb website: Family retrieved July 16, 2013
  19. ^ "Loeb Visitor's Center at Touro Synagogue". Northeast Collaborative Architects. ncarchitects.com. Archived from the original on Feb 17, 2020. In 1998, a vision for a new building framing the western edge of Touro Synagogue's property was initiated by Ambassador John L. Loeb who is the founder of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom. Loeb imagined an educational center that would house his collection of Colonial portraits and explain how RI championed religious liberty, tolerance, and separation of church and state in Colonial America.
[edit]
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by U.S. Ambassador to Denmark
1981–1983 		Succeeded by
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