Our Founder

Charles H. Revson

Charles H. Revson was born in Boston in 1906, raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, and came to New York City as a young man. In 1932, he founded Revlon, Inc., which he built into a major international corporation. In his tribute published in the Foundation's first report, Simon H. Rifkind, then chair of the Board of Directors of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, wrote:

"Two characteristics set Charles Revson apart from the ordinary run: one, creativity—in his chosen field; two, perfectionism—in all fields.

"His zeal to learn was prodigious. Having entered the world of industry, he exhibited an inordinate eagerness to explore his new domain, to learn its highways and byways, to learn how to scale its barriers, how to solve its puzzles and penetrate its mysteries. By the sheer genius of his imagination, by the drive of his personality, by the dedication of his efforts, he created a vast enterprise stretching around the globe, and his name became known in dozens of countries. He reached the heights of his chosen profession, but he never forgot those who struggled below."

In 1956, Mr. Revson established the Charles H. Revson Foundation, through which he donated more than ten million dollars during his lifetime. The majority of these gifts went to organizations serving the Jewish community, medical institutions, and schools and universities, particularly in New York, his adopted city.

On his death in 1975 Charles Revson endowed the Foundation from his estate. He gave the Board of Directors unusual freedom to innovate, leaving them the discretion to chart the Foundation's future course. "We have striven to approach our task," Judge Rifkind wrote in the Foundation's first report, "with the creativity and belief in man's capacity for improvement that distinguished Charles Revson."