James Rothenberg, on Boards of both Caltech and Huntington Hospital, Has Died at 69

James Rothenberg, an admired member of the Board of Trustees at the California Institute of Technology and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, has died of a heart attack. He was 69.

The Los Angeles-based mutual fund company, Capital Group Inc., announced that Rothenberg died on Tuesday, July 21st. He held the position of Chairman of the Capital Research and Management Company, a wholly owned Capital Group subsidiary, before his death.

Rothenberg, who joined the Capital Group in 1970, is recognized as a leading figure in the investment world. He oversaw the Capital Group’s growth into a money manager that at its peak owned American Funds, the world’s biggest mutual fund family, and Growth Fund of America, the biggest stock mutual fund.

Rothenberg was born in Pittsburgh on July 16, 1946, the son of Henry Edward Rothenberg who was vice president of Gimbels department store in that city.

In 1968, he received a bachelor’s degree in English from Harvard College, and two years later completed an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

After joining the Capital Group, Rothenberg rose from the ranks, early on working as equity investment analyst. He was one of the members of the management committee, and served as vice chairman of the board and a portfolio manager of Growth Fund of America.

Now, the Capital Group oversees $1.25 trillion in capital investments worldwide.

Rothenberg became a treasurer of Harvard University in 2004 and also served as chairman of the board of the Harvard Management Co., which manages the world’s largest endowment. He stepped down as treasurer in 2014.

Rothenberg was active in Los Angeles-area philanthropies. In March, the California Institute of Technology announced that he and his wife had donated $15 million to support research activities and graduate education.

Rothenberg is survived by his wife, Anne F. Rothenberg; their three children, Catherine Rothenberg Wei, Erin Rothenberg Baker, and Daniel H. Rothenberg; and six grandchildren.