Robert W. Wilson—an openly gay retired hedge-fund founder who became a major philanthropist, donating about $600 million to causes that included environmental conservation, the American Civil Liberties Union and Roman Catholic education ( although he was an atheist )—died Dec. 22, 2013, in Manhattan at age 87, according to The New York Times.
Wilson was found dead in an inner courtyard of the San Remo building on Central Park West. Authorities said he left a note indicating that he had leapt to his death.
Wilson earned a fortune in the stock market as the founding partner of a hedge-fund firm Wilson & Associates.
The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the World Monuments Fund were among the recipients of Wilson's earliest and largest donations. In 2007, Mr. Wilson began giving money to the Catholic school system of the Archdiocese of New York.
