G. Keith Funston

George Keith Funston (October 12, 1910 – May 15, 1992) was an American businessman who served as President of Trinity College, Hartford from 1945 to 1951 and President of the New York Stock Exchange from 1951 to 1967.

G. Keith Funston
President of the New York Stock Exchange
In office September 1951 – 1967
Preceded by	Emil Schram
Succeeded by	Robert W. Haack
President of Trinity College
In office 1945 – September 1951
Preceded by	Arthur Howard Hughes
Succeeded by	Arthur Howard Hughes
Personal details
Born	George Keith Funston October 12, 1910 Waterloo, Iowa, U.S.
Died	May 15, 1992 (aged 81) Greenwich, Connecticut
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Kennedy
Children	3
Alma mater	Trinity College Harvard Business School

Early life

Funston was born on October 12, 1910 in Waterloo, Iowa, and spent most of his youth in Sioux Falls, South Dakota after moving there in 1915. He was the son of Genevieve (née Keith) Funston and Dr. George Edwin Funston, a dentist turned small-town banker.[1][2]

He graduated from Trinity College in 1932, as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, president of the senior honor society and the class valedictorian. While at Trinity, he worked as a chauffeur to then president, Remsen Brinckerhoff Ogilby. He graduated from Harvard Business School in 1934.[3]

Career

After a year spent as a researcher, he worked at American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation in 1935 as a sales executive, eventually working in the treasurer's office by 1938. In 1940, he joined Sylvania Electric Products as director of sales planning, before quickly becoming director of purchasing.[3]

In 1941, he became a special assistant to Sidney J. Weinberg, and then to Donald M. Nelson, chairman of the War Production Board. In 1944, he became assistant director of the Industrial Readjustment Branch of the Navy, and held the rank of Lieutenant Commander.[3]

Chosen in 1944, the then 34-year old Funston began serving as president of his undergraduate college, Trinity College in 1945. He served in that role for six years until he accepted the presidency of the Exchange in September 1951.[4]

In 1951, he succeeded Emil Schram to become the president of the New York Stock Exchange.[5] During his time on Wall Street, the Exchange greatly expanded and trading increased dramatically.[3] During his tenure, he was known as a "demanding boss" who had "high standards of excellence, a fantastic memory and the ability to keep many balls in the air at the same time."[1]

Personal life

In 1939, he married the former Elizabeth Kennedy (1912–2002),[6] and they became the parents of three children,[1] G. Keith Funston Jr., Marguerite Funston Thatcher, and Gail Funston Wasson.[6]

Funston, who lived most of the year in Sanibel, Florida, died at his summer home in Greenwich, Connecticut on May 15, 1992.[3]

References

1. "Market Manager; George Keith Funston" (PDF). The New York Times. 13 September 1966. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
2. "Funston's Mother Dies Special to the New York Tines". The New York Times. 10 September 1973. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
3. Feder, Barnaby (May 16, 1992). "Keith Funston, Head of Big Board Through '50s Revival, Dies at 81". The New York Times.
4. "Past Presidents". Trinity College.
5. "SIDELIGHTS IN FINANCE; George Keith Funston" (PDF). The New York Times. 8 September 1951. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
6. "Paid Notice: Deaths FUNSTON, ELIZABETH KENNEDY". The New York Times. 14 July 2002. Retrieved 17 December 2019.