Tisch, Old-School Billionaire, Was Everywhere

Old-School Billionaire, Was Everywhere: "Tisch, Old-School Billionaire, Was Everywhere"

Dan Ackman, 11.17.03, 9:59 AM ET

"NEW YORK - A glance at the list of the very richest Americans shows a group that profited mightily from a single focused investment, whether computer software (Bill Gates, Larry Ellison), retailing (the Waltons) or computer hardware (Michael Dell). Laurence Tisch was different. One of the original members of the Forbes 400, Tisch, who died over the weekend at 80, forged an amazingly varied career--from hotels to movies theaters to cigarettes to oil drilling to watch-making to media. Though his name wasn't on any of his businesses, it gained prominence through his controversial ownership of CBS and his association with New York University. "

- Is this kind of thing luck? Did he get lucky on his first deals and then have opportunities show up afterward because people thought he had the golden touch? Sometimes when I see this type of story I get the feeling that the person was just in the right place at the right time. -ed.

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