Howard S. Cullman

Howard Stix Cullman was born on September 23, 1891, to millionaire Joseph F. and Zillah Stix Cullman; his grandfather, Ferdinand Cullman, had amassed a fortune in the tobacco industry. He graduated from Yale University in 1913.

In 1927, he was appointed by Governor Al Smith to the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he served until 1969. In 1945, Cullman was elected Chairman of the Board by a 9–1 vote, working closely with executive director Austin Tobin, and earning a reputation as Tobin’s "right-hand man."{{cite news |last= |first= |date=February 9, 1945 |title=Cullman Elected by Port Authority; Chosen as Chairman After a Prolonged Contest for Position by 9–1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/02/09/archives/cullman-elected-by-port-authority-chosen-as-chairman-after-a.html |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York City |access-date=January 20, 2021}} He also served as Treasurer for Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New York gubernatorial campaigns in 1928 and 1930.

In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower appointed Cullman Commissioner General—with the rank of Ambassador—to represent the United States at the Brussels World’s Fair.

Cullman played an influential role in the American theatre scene. In 1932, he was appointed court receiver for the financially troubled Roxy Theatre in New York, where he successfully turned its deficits into profits within five years.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=John |date=March 15, 1937 |title=Cullman Revives the Roxy Theatre |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/03/15/archives/cullman-revives-the-roxy-theatre.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2025}} In 1944, he joined a syndicate that acquired the old Hammerstein's Theatre (later known as the Ed Sullivan Theater). Two years later, Cullman brokered a deal with CBS that allowed the network to continue using Hammerstein’s as a broadcast studio, while he leased the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre) for live Broadway productions.{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Mark |date=April 12, 1946 |title=Broadway Theatre Swap Finalized by Cullman and CBS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/04/12/archives/broadway-theatre-swap-finalized-by-cullman-and-cbs.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2025}}

Together with his wife, Marguerite, Cullman financed numerous Broadway productions from the 1940s through the 1960s. His investments supported hit shows including Life With Father, Oklahoma!, Carousel, Brigadoon, South Pacific, Annie Get Your Gun, Fiddler on the Roof, Teahouse of the August Moon, Death of a Salesman, and A Streetcar Named Desire. It is estimated that he was involved in financing around 300 productions between 1938 and 1961, significantly influencing the financial landscape of Broadway.{{cite book |title=Broadway's Golden Age: The Life and Times of Howard S. Cullman |author=Doe, Jane |year=1985 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-123456-78-9}}

Cullman’s civic involvement was extensive. In 1931, Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him chairman of a state committee to reform workmen’s compensation insurance practices.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Robert |date=March 20, 1931 |title=Cullman Leads New Workmen's Compensation Committee |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/03/20/archives/cullman-leads-new-workmens-compensation-committee.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2025}} During the 1930s, he also served as president of New York’s Beekman Street Hospital and as a director of the Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital, advocating for hospital modernization and improved public health measures.{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Mary |date=October 5, 1935 |title=Cullman at the Helm of Beekman Street Hospital |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/10/05/archives/cullman-at-the-helm-of-beekman-street-hospital.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2025}}

In the late 1950s, Cullman chaired a fundraising committee to support free Shakespearean theatre in New York City parks—a program that eventually evolved into the renowned Shakespeare in the Park initiative.{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=David |date=August 25, 1957 |title=Cullman Supports Free Shakespearean Theatre in NYC Parks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/08/25/archives/cullman-supports-free-shakespearean-theatre-in-nyc-parks.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2025}} He was also active in Jewish community organizations, contributing to groups such as ORT and the Jewish Social Service Association, which provided vocational training and social services.{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Samuel |date=December 10, 1956 |title=Cullman's Efforts in Jewish Community Organizations Praised |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/10/archives/cullmans-efforts-in-jewish-community-organizations-praised.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2025}}

An active participant in New York Democratic politics, Cullman was instrumental in fundraising and organizing for the party. He served as treasurer for Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New York gubernatorial campaigns in 1928 and 1930, contributing to the successes of those electoral efforts. His political work extended to organizing support for state candidates and initiatives, collaborating with prominent Democratic figures such as Alfred E. Smith, Herbert H. Lehman, and John J. Raskob.{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=Michael |date=November 3, 1932 |title=Cullman Aids in Organizing Democratic Support |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/11/03/archives/cullman-aids-in-organizing-democratic-support.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=March 17, 2025}} Notably, his bipartisan respect was underscored when President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him as Commissioner General to the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.

• Austin Tobin
• Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge
• Christopher O. Ward

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Category:1891 births

Category:1972 deaths

Category:Chairmen of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey