Max Fisher

Max Fisher, an oilman who poured his millions into Jewish philanthropy and the city of Detroit and advised Republican presidents, died Thursday at his home in Franklin, Mich. He was 96. Last year, Fisher, with a fortune estimated at $775 million, was the oldest person on Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the nation's 400 wealthiest individuals.

Max Fisher, an oilman who poured his millions into Jewish philanthropy and the city of Detroit and advised Republican presidents, died Thursday at his home in Franklin, Mich. He was 96. Last year, Fisher, with a fortune estimated at $775 million, was the oldest person on Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the nation's 400 wealthiest individuals.

UNION LABEL: Labor politicos are pondering the possibility of plunging into the Democratic presidential race big time by giving the official blessing of the AFL-CIO to one of the contenders for the nomination. All the candidates will be invited to appear together at the federation's national convention next month in Detroit as the first step in the competition for an endorsement. By giving its backing to Walter F. Mondale in 1984, the labor federation helped him edge out Gary Hart.

Max Henry Fisher, 71, former editor of the Financial Times and the executive credited with transforming that newspaper into Britain's leading financial newspaper and an influential European journal. A native of Germany, Fisher was interned in Britain as an enemy alien at the outbreak of war and later sent to Australia. When he was released in 1942, he volunteered for the British army and served in France.

Max Henry Fisher, 71, former editor of the Financial Times and the executive credited with transforming that newspaper into Britain's leading financial newspaper and an influential European journal. A native of Germany, Fisher was interned in Britain as an enemy alien at the outbreak of war and later sent to Australia. When he was released in 1942, he volunteered for the British army and served in France.

Sotheby's Chairman to Sell Block of Stock: Sotheby's Holdings Inc. announced that two top officials are selling 10 million shares of common stock with limited voting rights in the auction house--about 19% of the outstanding shares. A. Alfred Taubman, chairman of the world's largest art auction firm, is selling 8 million shares. Two million are being sold by Vice Chairman Max Fisher and Martinique Hotel Inc. Sotheby's stock eased 50 cents to $12.

Real estate billionaire Donald Bren, owner of the Irvine Co., Orange County's largest and richest landholder, was married over the weekend, his third trip down the aisle. Bren, 66, exchanged vows Saturday with Brigitte Muller, 32, his companion of 2 1/2 years. The "intimate church ceremony" took place at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills and was attended only by close family members, said Larry Thomas, a spokesman for Bren's Irvine Co.

With former President Richard M. Nixon still avoiding most public events, organizers of the Richard M. Nixon Library and Birthplace put finishing touches on the facility today and prepared for this afternoon's arrival of President Bush. At the library, William E. Simon, Nixon's secretary of the Treasury, hosted a luncheon for about 50 longtime supporters of Nixon and the library. Among the guests were Charles (Bebe) Rebozo, one of Nixon's closest friends.

Irvine Co. Director Howard Marguleas testified Monday that he supported Donald L. Bren's 1982 bid to become chairman of the board because the company's image at the time "left a lot to be desired." Marguleas told the court that he liked the idea that a local person "more in tune with the community" than the ownership group led by Detroit shopping center magnate A. Alfred Taubman, who preceded Bren as chairman, would play a larger role in company affairs.

The days of symphony musicians preparing for performances in a trailer, concertgoers sitting on their coats and patrons standing in the snow to collect tickets, are no more. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra today dedicates the Max M. Fisher Music Center, known as "The Max." The $60-million center includes a restored and modernized Orchestra Hall, a newly built 450-seat performance hall and an education center.

UNION LABEL: Labor politicos are pondering the possibility of plunging into the Democratic presidential race big time by giving the official blessing of the AFL-CIO to one of the contenders for the nomination. All the candidates will be invited to appear together at the federation's national convention next month in Detroit as the first step in the competition for an endorsement. By giving its backing to Walter F. Mondale in 1984, the labor federation helped him edge out Gary Hart.

Not everything in Donald L. Bren's testimony about events leading to his 1983 takeover of the Irvine Co. concurs with the recollections of other key players. Bren said his determination to gain control crystallized when A. Alfred Taubman, a Detroit shopping center developer who was chairman of the Irvine Co. before Bren's buyout, told him on Feb. 14, 1982, that he wanted to consider liquidating the company.

Former Irvine Co. director Max Fisher said Friday that although he had not considered selling his share of the company, he readily accepted Chairman Donald L. Bren's February, 1983, offer of $200,000 per share. And Fisher, testifying as an Irvine Co. witness in heiress Joan Irvine Smith's suit against the company, said he helped persuade Detroit shopping center magnate A. Alfred Taubman that Bren's offer--which valued the company at $1 billion--was not too low.