NEW YORK, NY - Samuel J. Heyman, Chairman of International Specialty Products (ISP) and GAF Corp. has died after complications following open heart surgery. He was 70 years old.

 

Heyman was a corporate raider who was known for holding companies instead of selling them off. One of his most recognized deals was the purchase of GAF Corp., a manufacturer of roofing materials and chemical products. He purchased GAF Corp. 1983 and would later spin off the chemicals division of the company to create ISP. At the time of his death, Heyman was serving as the Chairman of both companies.

 

Heyman was involved in various charitable organizations. He founded the Partnership for Public Service in Washington, DC; the Heyman Fellowship Program, which gives financial assistance to Harvard Law School graduates who pursue work in the federal government; and The Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Center on Corporate Governance at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. In 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Heyman the President’s Citizens Award for his charitable work.

 

Heyman is survived by his wife, Ronnie Feuerstein Heyman; his mother, Annette Heyman; four children, Lazarus Heyman, Eleanor Propp, Jennifer Millstone and Elizabeth Winter; and nine grandchildren.