Arthur Schleifer Jr.

Arthur Schleifer, Jr. was born in 1931 and died in 2025 at age 94. He was the only child of Arthur and Miriam Fishel Schleifer.

His father joined the family restaurant business, becoming the concessionaire of several New York City-owned restaurants, including the Claremont Inn, Tavern-on-the-Green, Orchard Beach, and for several years Manny Wolf’s Chop House. At the inception of the United Nations, his organization was contracted to serve food and drinks to delegates of the General Assembly in Lake Success, NY, and the Security Council in Flushing Meadows, NY.

Arthur grew up in Manhattan, attending Horace Mann, followed by Yale, and Harvard Business School, where he earned both MBA and Doctor of Business Administration degrees. He became an Assistant and later Associate Professor at the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, and seven years later returned to Harvard Business School, where he ultimately became the James J. Hill Professor of Business Administration.

A specialist in decision and data analysis, Arthur co-authored several textbooks as well as numerous research papers and books. He worked as a consultant and expert witness, served on multiple boards, and after his retirement in 1998, joined the Board of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, an affiliate of MIT, where he chaired its Finance Committee.

Beyond his professional life, Arthur was an avid tennis player and long-time member of the Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, MA, a scuba diver who explored world-renowned sites, a traveler across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and a photographer, including underwater work. He was also devoted to classical music as a supporter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Arts Ensemble.

Arthur was married to Yvette Roman Schleifer, a French-born concert pianist, for 54 years. Yvette and her sister enjoyed a distinguished career as a duo-piano team, performing with major orchestras in the U.S. and throughout Europe. Later, Yvette turned to chamber music, partnering with members of the Boston Symphony and other prominent Boston-area musicians. Together, Arthur and Yvette had three children: Arthur III and Suzanne, parents of Talia, Isabel, and Chloe; David R. and Paula, parents of Lucas, Lola, and Nicolas; and the late Caroline and Robert Smits, parents of Lili. After Yvette’s passing, Arthur married Rebecca Alssid, the former Director of Food Studies and other programs at Boston University.

Arthur had no regrets. He treasured lasting friendships and close family ties, and felt his life was fulfilling, intellectually stimulating, multifaceted, exciting, loving, and joyful.