Statement of Third Way President Jonathan Cowan on the Passing of Bernard L. Schwartz

“In the passing of Bernard Schwartz, America has lost a pioneering leader of business and public policy, his family has lost a loving husband, father, and grandfather, Third Way has lost our founding chair, and I have lost a mentor and friend.

“Bernard was a self-made man in every possible respect. He rose from modest beginnings in Bensonhurst to run Loral Corporation, one of the most important companies in aerospace. He became a leading philanthropist, funding vital work in medical research, bringing greater diversity to higher education, and sponsoring the arts, public broadcasting, and many other areas of public life. And Bernard’s insights and political philanthropy helped to create, shape, and scale the New Democrat movement. Beginning with his support for the DLC and then-Governor Bill Clinton, Bernard’s vision, guidance, and generosity created and grew extraordinary new institutions and a flood of vital new ideas.

“I first met Bernard in 2004. He had been a titan of business and politics for decades, but he took a chance on a tiny group of us with a vision for a new center-left think tank and advocacy organization. It is no exaggeration to say that Third Way would not exist without Bernard’s patronage and guidance in our first 10 years. As our founding chairman, he steered us through the rocky shoals of a start-up, and by the time he took Emeritus status, we were a thriving, sustainable operation. He remained on our board and served as sponsor of the Schwartz Initiative on American Economic Policy. This organization will forever owe Bernard an enormous debt of gratitude.

“On behalf of our Board, our staff, and all of Third Way, I send our most sincere condolences to Bernard’s wife Denise, his daughters, and their entire family. May his memory be a blessing to you all, as it will surely be to us.”