Heavyweights of finance and media gathered at the New York Public Library last night to honor JPMorgan Chase Vice Chairman James B. Lee Jr. – one of Wall Street’s most respected and admired advisors.
The fundraising dinner, which collected over $2 million in donations last night for the library, was co-chaired by News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon and The Blackstone Group’s Stephen Schwarzman and his wife Christine.
Lee, known to his friends across Wall Street as Jimmy, is credited for creating the syndicated loan market when he was a young banker at Chemical Bank and helping pioneer the modern day leveraged buyout market.
He is known for his vast rolodex of private equity titans including Kravis, Schwarzman and Carlyle group head David Rubenstein.
“He’s a brilliant student of the human condition and exceptionally loyal friend,” said Schwarzman, speaking in the Library’s stunning Celeste Bartos Forum last Night, which was adorned with a vast array of exotic flowers. “Jimmy Lee has lent more money than anyone in the history of the world. It’s truly astounding and he’s gotten virtually all of it back.”
Other heavy-hitters in attendance last night were Wall Street icons Ted Forstmann, Robert Spatt of Simpson, Thatcher Bartlett, Rob Kindler of Morgan Stanley, Glenn Hutchins of Silver Lake Partners and former American Express head James Robinson.