James S. Marcus

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James S. Marcus (1929–2015) was an American philanthropist and Goldman Sachs investment banker who supported classical music, opera, and the vocal arts in New York City. He chaired the Metropolitan Opera Board for eight years, from 1986 to 1993. Marcus was the grandson of Joseph S. Marcus, founder of the Bank of United States. He grew up in New York City, earned a BA from Harvard in 1951 and an MBA in 1953, and was editor of The Harvard Crimson in 1951. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1956 and became a partner from 1964 to 1982. He joined the Metropolitan Opera Board in 1973 and later served as its chairman; he became an honorary director in 1997. In 2010, he and his wife Ellen donated $10 million to Juilliard to establish the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts. He supported WQXR-FM and served as a trustee for many arts and medical organizations, including the American Composers Orchestra, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Lincoln Center, the Manhattan Theatre Club, Lenox Hill Hospital, and WNET. He died in Manhattan in 2015.