Former Estée Lauder CEO was 92

Leonard Lauder, the former CEO of Estée Lauder, has died. He was 92.

Leonard, who was also a famous art collector and philanthropist, died “surrounded by family” on Saturday, June 14, Estée Lauder Companies Inc. announced in a statement On Sunday, June 15th.

“Mr. Lauder was a real visionary, fearless leader and cherished friend of so many,” read the statement. “He was the lighthouse for our company and the northern star in an entire industry. The world is a better place because Leonard Lauder was in it.”

Leonard was the oldest son of Estée and Joseph Lauder, who together formally started the Estée Lauder business in 1946. Leonard joined the business in 1958 and served for several years as CEO. His first wife, the late Evelyn Lauder, created the pink breast cancer band.

He was born in New York City in 1933. His mother was born Josephine Esther Mentzer and his father was born Joseph Lauter. Estée entered the makeup industry thanks to his uncle, who sold beauty products. Estée and Joseph changed their names to improve mythology in the Estée Lauder brand.

“My mother was not like other mothers,” Leonard wrote in his 2020 memoir Company I keep: My life in beautywhich were drawn out by CBS. “When I grew up in the 1930s, I remember sitting in the kitchen looking at my mom fixing facial creams on the stove.”

When he and his younger brother Ronald ate lunch and did their homework, women would come to the apartment to receive facials and buy products.

Leonard graduated from the Bronx Science High School and then completed the basic education at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. He then served as a lieutenant in the American Navy from 1956.

After he was released, he joined Estée Lauder. According to The company’s websiteLeonard was not sure he wanted to join the company and was considering reintroducing the Navy for a full -time career. But he finally made hope, and from 1972 to 1995 he served as president. In 1982 he became CEO, a role he served in until 1999. In 1995 he became chairman and in 2009 he switched to chairman emeritus. Leonard was also called the company’s head teacher.

Under Leonard’s leadership, Estée Lauder was transformed into the global company it is today. He created its first research and development laboratory, and from the 90s they began acquiring other companies, including Mac, Bobbi Brown and Aeda.

According to ForbesIn December 2024, Leonard was worth $ 10.8 billion, making him the 234th richest person in the world.

Leonard married Evelyn Hausner in 1959, and they had two sons, William and Gary Lauder. Evelyn was a teacher when she and Leonard got married, but became the senior company’s vice president at Estée Lauder and founded the Clinique line. She also helped the company’s biggest social question-awareness of breast cancer-which helped to create the now omnipotent pink band. Leonard and Evelyn worked with New York’s Memorial Sloan-Ketting Hospital and helped launch the hospital’s Evelyn H Lauder Breast Center.

Leonard and his brother Ronald founded Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation in 1998, which has awarded over $ 209 million to finance attempts in 19 countries, according to Forbes.

Leonard is also passionate about visual art and was a great collector. He wrote in his memoir, drawn out in ArtnewsThat his love for collection started with postcards, and he finally gathered a vintage postcard collection on more than 125,000 articles. Then he started collecting posters before jumping into art.

He wrote: “I had become interested in modern art back when I was at elementary school. I was crazy about movies and two or three times a week, I would take the subway myself – the children had an extraordinary amount of freedom these days – to watch classic movies at the museum for modern art. If I arrived early or had time after the movie ended, I would walk through the galleries.” ”

He donated part of his collection to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Newberry Library and has served as both president and chairman of the Whitney Museum of American Art. In April 2013, he promised his collection of 81 cubist art to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York Times called it “a sterling act of philanthropy.”

Evelyn Died in 2011. Leonard married Judy Ellis Glickman in 2015. Like Leonard, Glickman had also lost a husband after more than 50 years of marriage. Told Leonard New York Times 2015, “We were lucky in our next chapter to end and the beginning coincided.”

Reflected on his life and if he had any regrets, he told Brunswick Group In 2020, “I can’t think of anything that I really regret. Now, could I have done a little better? Of course. You can always continue to try to do better. But do I regret something? Not a little. Forward!”

Leonard is survived by his brother, wife and sons William and Gary, who both celebrated his legacy with their own statements after his death.

“He was the most charity I have ever known, believed that art and education belonged to everyone and charged the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer’s and breast cancer,” William wrote partly. “Above all, my father was a man who practiced kindness with everyone he met. His impact was huge.”

“He was not only well respected and admired, but he was also loved by his employees and colleagues. This affection stands out for me,” Gary wrote partly. “While we mourn his passing, we also celebrate his extraordinary life, his lasting contributions and the values ​​he set in all of us: integrity, curiosity and the importance of giving back. He will be missing more than words can express.”