In Memoriam | Ambassador Joseph B. Gildenhorn

The Wilson Center community deeply mourns the passing of Ambassador Joseph B. Gildenhorn—a visionary leader, diplomat, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and public servant. Ambassador Gildenhorn served as the Wilson Center’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2013, and under his leadership, it became one of the world’s leading institutions for nonpartisan research. 

Born in Washington DC, Ambassador Gildenhorn was educated at the University of Maryland and Yale Law School, where he edited the Yale Law Journal. He was a founding partner of The JBG Companies, a Maryland-based real estate development and management company that has developed dozens of buildings around the greater Washington metropolitan area. In 1989, he was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to serve as the United States Ambassador to Switzerland, where he served until 1993. 

In 2002, President George W. Bush named Gildenhorn Chairman of the Wilson Center’s Board of Trustees. Ambassador Gildenhorn was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship, and, together with his wife Alma, founded the Wilson National Cabinet.

Ambassador Mark Green, President and CEO of the Wilson Center, stated, “During his tenure as Board Chair, Joe Gildenhorn provided transformational leadership to the nation’s official memorial to the 28th president and its mission to provide a bridge between the worlds of academia and public policy. Like my predecessors, I benefitted enormously from Joe Gildenhorn’s sage advice and his abiding commitment to the Wilson Center.”

In 2023, the Wilson Center established the Joseph B. Gildenhorn Fellowship for Enterprise Diplomacy. This fellowship honors Gildenhorn’s legacy and will be awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the values of Ambassador Gildenhorn: dedication to excellence and research on the evolving relationship between the public and private sectors. 

Joe Asher, current Chairman of the Board of Trustees, added: “Joe Gildenhorn’s life’s work over decades of involvement in the public life of this Nation and its institutions stands as a shining example for all of us. We at the Wilson Center will honor him by building on his legacy of extraordinary leadership and commitment to this organization, which he loved so dearly.”

The Wilson Center community extends its deepest condolences to Alma Gildenhorn and the Gildenhorn family.