Trustee Christopher Browne dies at 62

by JOSEPH BONNER

Christopher H. Browne, a member of The Rockefeller University Board of Trustees for the last 12 years, died of a heart attack on December 13, 2009. He was 62 years old.

Mr. Browne joined The Rockefeller University Council, an international advisory group whose members serve as ambassadors for the university, in 1995. He was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1997. He chaired the Board’s nominating committee from 1999 to 2005 and the development committee from 2005 on. He also served as a member of the executive committee and the finance and operations committee.

“Chris Browne was a much loved  member of the university community,” says Paul Nurse, president. “Chris also worked very hard on the university’s behalf. We benefited greatly from his leadership of the Board’s nominating and development committees.”

Mr. Browne was a major benefactor of the university’s HIV/AIDS research programs, and in 1997 he contributed the funds that established the Christopher H. Browne Center for Immunology and Immune Diseases at Rockefeller. More recently, Mr. Browne made an extremely generous commitment to help the university’s current Campaign for Collaborative Science.

Beyond Rockefeller, Mr. Browne’s philanthropy and advocacy reflected a wide range of interests. Among the numerous institutions that were strengthened by his involvement are the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Paley Center for Media, Guild Hall of East Hampton, the Long Island Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America, and the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater.

After graduating with a history degree from Penn in 1969, Mr. Browne joined the investment firm Tweedy, Browne Company. Over a 40-year career, he played a central role in raising the profile of Tweedy, Browne from a small brokerage house to one of the most highly regarded investment companies in the country. Known in the financial world for his meticulous attention to detail and often unflagging support of companies overlooked by other Wall Street firms, Mr. Browne became full partner at Tweedy, Browne in 1974 and went on to become its managing director. The company now manages more than $10 billion.

Mr. Browne frequently lectured on behavioral psychology and financial decision-making, and he served on the faculty of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was the author of The Little Book of Value Investing, published in 2006.

“Chris Browne had a keen aesthetic sense, extraordinary financial acumen and a philanthropic spirit that inspired those around him,” says Marnie Imhoff, vice president for development. “His contributions to Rockefeller are enduring, and he is greatly missed.”