Ronald Lauder
Ronald Lauder was born on February 26, 1944, in New York City, a city that would remain central to his life and work as a United States citizen. He attended the Bronx High School of Science before taking his education abroad, studying at the University of Paris and the Free University of Brussels, then returning to complete his business training at the Wharton School.
His career has covered a broad range of activities, spanning entrepreneurship, business, politics, and philanthropy. These roles have often overlapped, with his work as a businessman running alongside his public engagements as a politician and his sustained commitment to philanthropic causes. Art collecting has been another consistent thread, one that has taken on an institutional dimension over time.
That institutional dimension is represented by the Neue Galerie in New York City, which stands as a notable work associated with Lauder. His ties to Europe, established in part through his years of study in Paris and Brussels, have carried through into his civic and cultural life more broadly. Across his career he has received a number of honors from European governments and bodies: the Knight of the Legion of Honour, the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Great Golden Medal of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, and the International Emmy Directorate Award.
Lauder remains a citizen of the United States and continues to be active as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and art collector. The Library of Congress records him under the authorized name "Lauder, Ronald S.," a marker of the public and institutional presence he has maintained across decades of work in business, culture, and civic affairs.
Quotes by Ronald Lauder
As an observer, you can clearly see that Western countries are war-weary and don't want to be pulled into new conflicts. They always proclaim their will to fight for Israel in an emergency. That's good but what if that's not at all true when the time comes?
The First World War began because one man was shot. The Second World War began because of a mad German dictator. Who knows how a third could start. There are also people who think that the war has been going for a long time.
I don't think there's anything wrong with being paternalistic as a company. We are very paternalistic. We have a very good health plan - we take care of people.
