Roy Gainsburg, Former St. Martin's Press President, Dies at 91

Roy Gainsburg, president of St. Martin's Press from 1987 to 1997, died on December 9. He was 91.

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1957, Gainsburg worked for 30 years at the Wall Street law firm Szold & Brandwen, where he specialized in publishing and literary law. Among the clients he represented were St. Martin’s, its parent company Macmillan Ltd. of London, and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien. He also represented numerous labor union interests.

In moving to St. Martin’s in 1987, Gainsburg was named chief operating officer as well as president, and presided over the company’s three trade imprints. In 1997, Gainsburg was named administrative v-p, a role he held until his retirement in 2009.

Among his activities outside of publishing, Gainsburg served on the board of directors for the Partnership for the Homeless in New York City from 1997 to 2006, cochairing the board from 2001 to 2004.