Ambassador John L Loeb Jr.

Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr.

Biography

Ambassador  John L. Loeb Jr. (born May 2, 1930) is a businessman, philanthropist, art collector, and former United States Ambassador to Denmark.  Throughout his life, Mr. Loeb has been praised for his public service, his philanthropy, and his commitment to American values, particularly to the right of all Americans to religious liberty.
 
Born in New York City to businessman John Langeloth Loeb Sr. and Frances Lehman, Mr. Loeb graduated with a B.A. from Harvard College and received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1954.
Following military service in the United States Air Force (1954-56), Loeb became a partner at Loeb Rhodes & Co., international investment bankers. Since 1979, he has been chairman of Loeb, Rhoades Trust Company, owned by John L. Loeb Jr. Associates, Inc., Investment Counselors.
 
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed Mr. Loeb as Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Denmark. Upon leaving the post in 1983, Her Royal Highness Queen Margrethe II of Denmark bestowed the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog upon Ambassador Loeb. The Order was given in recognition for his contribution to the arts, sciences or business life, and his work for Danish interests.
 
Upon his return to the United States, the Ambassador was appointed as a Delegate to the 38th Session of the United Nations. Mr. Loeb has had the good fortune to meet and work under every President from Eisenhower to George W. Bush, and with Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York. Among his many other contributions to public service, Mr. Loeb is presently on the Board of Directors of the Council of American Ambassadors and has held the office of Vice-Chair since 1999.
 
In 1994, Queen Elizabeth II of England also honored Ambassador Loeb by decorating him as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (C.B.E) in honor of his contributions to the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States. The Foundation offers American citizens of exceptional ability and outstanding achievement the opportunity to pursue graduate studies in engineering, mathematics, or the sciences at Churchill College of Cambridge University. Mr. Loeb has served as chair of the organization since 2003.
 
The Ambassador’s philanthropic contributions reflect his varied interests. He has sponsored publications and exhibitions on early American genealogy and family history, Danish art, and religious liberty in America. In 2009, he founded the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, and serves as the chairman of the organization.
 
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,” was an exploration of the history and contemporary relevance of George Washington’s 1790 “Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport Rhode Island”.

 

Downloads / Links

Biography [wikipedia article]

Curriculum Vitae [pdf]

 

Awards and Honors

  • Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, Georgetown University Law School, Washington, DC., 1980

  • Honoree, National Conference of Christians and Jews, Westchester County, NY, 1980

  • American Jewish Historical Society Lee Max Friedman Award, Waltham, MA, 1981

  • Westchester County, NY Board of Legislators Distinguished Service Award, 1982

  • Decorated by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II with the Grand Cross of the Order of Dannenbrog, 1983

  • Humanitarian Award on the occasion of the 200th Anniversary of the Hebrew Benevolent Society, Charleston, SC, the oldest Jewish Philanthropic Organization in the U.S., 1984

  • Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award, New York, NY, 1986

  • Churchill Fellow, Westminster College, MO, 1988

  • Distinguished Patriot Award, Sons of the American Revolution at Fraunces Tavern, New York, NY, 1993

  • Distinguished Alumni Award, The Harvey School, Katonah, NY, 1994

  • Decorated by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.), 1994

  • Lord of the Manor of Brinsley. County of Nottingham, England, 1995

  • Honorary Member, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1995

  • Lehman College Leadership Award, Bronx, NY, 1997

  • Hotchkiss Holiday in Honor of John L. Loeb, Jr., Lakeville, CT, 1998

  • Danish American Society Man of the Year, New York, NY, 2005

  • John Clarke Society Laureate of the Year, Newport, RI, 2009

  • St. Nicholas Society Medal of Merit, New York, NY, 2009

  • Alexander Teitz Award, Newport, RI, 2011

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