Michael von Clemm

Although in one interpretation of his life, he was merely a high-flying banker, he could also have been said to have helped start the restaurant revolution in the UK of the 1980s, and to have been the original father of the Canary Wharf development.

Michael was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy (class of 1953) and Harvard University (anthropology), where he met his wife Louisa B. Hunnewell of Wellesley, MA.

In 1967, Von Clemm borrowed $900 to help two young French brothers, Michel and Albert Roux, start a restaurant business.

The Roux brothers have been credited with helping make London one of the world's best cities for eating, paving the way for other high quality restaurants which opened in their wake during the 1970s and 1980s.

He found himself posted to London where he worked with a fellow American, Stanislas Yassukovich, at White Weld, on the development of the Eurodollar CD market.

In 1971, Yassukovich hired Von Clemm to join White Weld, first as a temporary consultant on the feasibility of a Euro-commercial paper market, which did not catch on.

Von Clemm replaced Craven as chairman of the newly formed Credit Suisse First Boston, and then additionally chief executive in 1979.

In fact, there was a direct connection – the warehouses on both sides of the atlantic had been built at the same time to service the lucrative transatlantic trade in raw materials and manufactured goods.

By the time he discussed this with his board, and in particular his buccaneering Kentuckian property adviser G Ware Travelstead, the idea had further developed into putting the front office of the bank on West India Docks, effectively creating a second financial services district in London.

Von Clemm remained involved in business as chairman of capital markets for Merrill Lynch, and as a board member of companies including Hafslund Nycomed.