Bram Goldsmith, Chairman Emeritus of City National Bank, Dies at Age 93

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 29, 2016 -- Bram Goldsmith, the former Southern California real estate developer and banking pioneer who helped build City National Corporation into one of the largest American commercial banks, died on February 28. He was 93.

As chairman and CEO from 1975 to 1995, Mr. Goldsmith grew the company's assets more than five-fold, to $3.2 billion. He developed an outstanding team of bankers and added thousands of relationships with many of the region's most successful entrepreneurs and professionals, their businesses and their families. He dramatically expanded the bank's position in Southern California, successfully guided it through two very serious recessions and had City National listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Goldsmith was a director of the company for 50 years, chairman of City National Corporation for over 40 years, and an active member of the company’s Strategy and Planning Committee up to and through its most recent meeting just this month.

“My father was a remarkable man, truly one of a kind,” said his son Russell Goldsmith, City National’s Chairman and CEO. “He accomplished an enormous amount during his long and rewarding life. Among other things, he established the high standards, reputation, values and value proposition that continue to define City National today. We are all very proud of him, and he in turn was deeply proud of this company, what it does for its clients and the thousands of colleagues who made it what it is today.”

Bram Goldsmith was born in Chicago in 1923. His parents were Bertha and Max Goldsmith.  He attended the University of Illinois and joined the U.S. Army in 1942. Following World War II, he returned to Chicago, but then moved to Los Angeles in 1952.

In 1953, a small group of local businessmen, including his father-in-law Ben Maltz, decided to open a bank that would cater to entrepreneurs, real estate professionals and the city’s growing entertainment industry. A year later, City National opened its doors, and Mr. Goldsmith was one of the new company’s first shareholders.

Following its acquisition in November of 2015, City National became a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).

“On behalf of all of my RBC colleagues, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Bram’s wife Elaine, to his son Russell and to the entire Goldsmith family,” said RBC’s CEO Dave McKay. “It is rare that you can describe someone as a visionary, but Bram was truly one of the great financial professionals of our age. I feel fortunate to have worked alongside him. Bram was committed to serving his clients and community -- a commitment that he demonstrated every day. He will be greatly missed.”

Before he turned to banking, Mr. Goldsmith was a successful real estate entrepreneur.  He was responsible for the construction of many Southern California buildings, including the City National Bank building at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles.

A philanthropist and community leader, Mr. Goldsmith led some of the most significant charitable organizations in Los Angeles.

He served as president of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles in 1969 and 1970, and chaired the 1965 Los Angeles United Jewish Fund Campaign. Today, the federation’s Los Angeles headquarters is the Goldsmith Center.

Mr. Goldsmith also was a national chairman of the United Jewish Appeal from 1970 to 1974, a board member of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from 1979 to 1999, and a board member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.  He was a lifetime trustee of all three organizations.

He was a board member of the Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 1981 to 1987. He also served as president of Hillcrest Country Club from 1972 to 1975.

Mr. Goldsmith also chaired the Wallis Annenberg Cultural Center Foundation and led the effort to renovate the old Beverly Hills Post Office and convert it to Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Mr. Goldsmith is survived by his wife Elaine, their two sons Russell and Bruce, and five grandchildren.

There will be a public memorial service in celebration of Mr. Goldsmith’s life at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 4 in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The service will be followed by a reception in the same location.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mr. Goldsmith’s name to The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center or the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

For a picture of Mr. Goldsmith: https://www.cnb.com/images/headshots/goldsmith-bram.jp

About City National

City National Bank is backed by $36.4 billion in total assets, and provides banking, investment and trust services through 75 offices, including 16 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville and Atlanta. The company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $53.9 billion in client investment assets, including $40.3 billion under direct management.

City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada, one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies.  RBC serves more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 38 other countries.

For more information about City National, visit the company’s website at cnb.com.

Media Contacts:
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Debora Vrana
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