James D. Robinson III

James D. Robinson III, who served sixteen years as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express, a technology venture capitalist, leader of civic and philanthropic causes, has died, March 18, 2024, at age 88.

Born in Atlanta on November 19, 1935, to James D. Robinson, Jr. and Josephine Crawford Robinson, his father, was chief executive and chairman of First National Bank of Atlanta. Jim’s grandfather had held the same positions, and his great-grandfather was the founder of First National’s predecessor institution.

Jim graduated from Woodberry Forest in Virginia and Georgia Tech ‘57. He married Bettye Bradley in Atlanta while serving his country as a Navy officer, then earning an MBA from Harvard ‘61. Moving to New York, he excelled on Wall Street at Morgan Guaranty and White Weld & Company. These propelled him to American Express. By age 41 he had risen to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AMEX.

Jim met Linda Gosden, married in 1984, she cofounding and heading Robinson Lerer and Montgomery, a leader in the field of strategic communications. 25 years as Chairman and Chief Executive, she went to BlackRock, the world’s leading asset manager, Board of Directors, Senior Managing Director, Vice Chairman and has since retired from BlackRock.

At American Express Jim was a pioneer in the development of global financial services. Key acquisitions, Shearson Lehman, EF Hutton, IDS, and First Data Corporation. He was key in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty.

After American Express he became a venture capitalist, cofounding RRE Ventures with son James D. Robinson IV and Stuart Ellman, establishing New York as a center of venture capital for technology. He devoted to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center almost half a century on its Board of Trustees and 16 years as Chairman. Jim was also Chairman of The Business Roundtable, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations, Chairman of the Partnership for New York City, member, The Business Council, the Council on Foreign Relations, an Honorary Trustee of the Brookings Institution, cofounded and chaired the World Travel and Tourism Council, chairman of the Board of Governors of the United Way of America, (where President Reagan agreed to Jim’s request to be Honorary Chairman of their Centennial celebration), and vital support to Spelman College in his hometown.

He was on the board for forty years at Coca-Cola and 39 at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Non-Executive Chairman for three years, and the boards of General Motors, Union Pacific and Novell Inc., among others.

He is survived by his wife Linda Gosden Robinson, James D. Robinson IV, his wife Katie Jacobs, grandchildren Phoebe, Grace, Margaret and James D. Robinson V, daughter, Emily Robinson Cook, her husband the Honorable Rodney Mims Cook, Jr., grandchildren, Josephine English and Alexandra Cook, son, Nicholas Robinson daughter, Olivia Robinson, sister, Frances Robinson Huber, six children, nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and sister, Josephine Robinson Westervelt, dec, three children and seven grandchildren

Jim’s family expresses gratitude to Jenna Williams-Executive Assistant, Peter Van Dyke, Dominick Stavola and Michel Orban.

The public funeral service will be held May 2nd at 12:00, Westview Abbey Chapel, Westview Cemetery, Atlanta and will be officiated by Archbishop Foley Beach. A reception will follow at the Millennium Gate Museum, 395 17th street where the family will receive in the Rhodes-Robinson Period Room. The public are invited. Robinson’s interment will be next to his mother in the Rhodes mausoleum, family only please.

In lieu of flowers, may consideration be given to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Georgia Tech and Harvard Business School.