20 Facts About Bob Benmosche

Robert Herman Benmosche was the president and chief executive officer of American International Group.

Bob Benmosche traced his Jewish lineage back to Lithuania, where his great-grandfather, Moshe Kreiskol, was one of the first Jews to serve in the tsar's army in the 1830s.

Bob Benmosche himself took a series of jobs, working there, caddying, and later, driving a delivery truck.

Bob Benmosche graduated from New York Military Academy in 1962, and from Alfred University in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics.

From 1966 to 1968, Bob Benmosche served as a lieutenant in the US Army, serving a tour of duty in Korea in the US Signal Corps where he led the setup of field communications.

In 1982, Bob Benmosche joined Paine Webber to lead the development of Paine Webber's Central Asset Brokerage Account.

Bob Benmosche left Paine Webber to join the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1995.

Bob Benmosche was later promoted to president and chief operating officer, and in November 1997 in his role as COO, oversaw individual and institutional as well as international insurance operations.

In 2001, Bob Benmosche purchased the 1923 Lafayette Theatre in his hometown of Suffern, New York, and successfully led its historic preservation effort.

In 2001, Bob Benmosche bought the one-time discotheque and spent the next six years renovating it.

In 2006, Bob Benmosche purchased land and imported 1500 Zinfandel plants from Napa Valley, California.

In 2011, Bob Benmosche's vineyard produced 3,000 bottles of wine under The Bob Benmosche Family Dingac label.

In mid-2009, Bob Benmosche was appointed CEO of American International Group.

Bob Benmosche was recruited by Jim Millstein who was Chief Restructuring Officer at the US Department of Treasury.

In 2010, Bob Benmosche testified to the Congressional Troubled Asset Relief Program Oversight Panel, on May 26, that AIG would repay the US Government and American taxpayers' investment in AIG in full, with a profit.

Bob Benmosche oversaw the sale of non-core assets in AIG's portfolio to pay down the $182 billion in government aid.

On December 14,2012, Bob Benmosche announced that the US government and American taxpayers received their full investment in AIG, plus a $22 billion positive return.

Bob Benmosche continued to work while undergoing an aggressive oral chemotherapy regime.

Bob Benmosche died on February 27,2015, in Manhattan, aged 70.

Bob Benmosche's comments were labeled insensitive, offensive and tasteless by a number of commentators, with Congressman Elijah Cummings calling for him to resign.