John D. Langlois died on August 19, 2010, in New York, New York.
(The following was provided by the New York Times on August 22, 2010:)
China scholar, historian, and banker John D. Langlois died in New York City early on August 19th, surrounded by family and friends, after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of forty-three years, Hsin I and other family members. Known as Jack to his many friends, he passed between the worlds of academia and finance as smoothly as he traveled between Asia and the United States.
He took equal pleasure in unraveling the intricacies of Chinese history and the complexities of international finance. Jack spoke Chinese and Japanese with elegance, precision, and wit, informed by years of classical study and practical negotiation. A Ming specialist and talented Chinese linguist with a PhD from Princeton, where he studied under the legendary Fritz Mote, Jack was professor and chairman of the History Department at Bowdoin College before embarking on a successful career as an investment banker. Jack held several senior positions with J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley in Asia, including Managing Director of J.P. Morgan (China) and Chairman of Morgan Stanley Properties (China). Combining his experience in finance and fluency in Mandarin, Jack served on the board of Directors of China’s CITIC Bank, Shenzhen Development Bank, Bank of Nanjing, Bank of Shanghai, and the Agricultural Bank of China – one of the first and very few foreigners to do so. His discreet advice was valued by finance and treasury officials in both Beijing and Washington. He most recently served as Vice Chairman of Global Strategic Associates in New York. Jack continued work as a scholar during his finance career, contributing his deep knowledge of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the Cambridge History of China, presenting academic papers, and teaching a course at Princeton University. His gracious and subtle scholarship appealed to his colleagues and students, while his gentle humor and quiet integrity endeared him to his many friends on both sides of the Pacific.