Guggenheim was born on January 19, 1888, in
Switzerland to Murry Guggenheim and Leonie Bernheim. His father was the third son of mining magnate
Meyer Guggenheim and his mother was descended from a prominent
Alsatian Jewish family. He received his B.A. from
Columbia University in 1908 and a Ph.B. from
Sheffield Scientific School of
Yale University in 1911. Guggenheim joined the family business in 1916 and headed its mining explorations and was its vice president in charge of
South American operations. In 1961, Guggenheim retired as director of the
Kennecott Copper Corporation and the
Braden Copper Company. In 1919, he was also named Special Deputy Police Commissioner of
New York City in charge of
The Bronx and severed on several commissions in the
New York City Police Department. He was also a president of the Murry and Leonle Guggenheim Foundation from 1939 until his death. == Personal life ==