Robert J. Milano

Robert J. Milano was an American industrialist. He was the founder and chairman of Millmaster Onyx, and also briefly served as deputy mayor of New York City during the Koch administration.

Early life and education

Milano was born in New York City on June 14, 1912, and grew up in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. After attending the High School of Commerce, he studied business administration and financial law at City College.

Career

He founded Millmaster Chemical Company in 1936, and after serving in the military during World War II, returned to lead the company through a period of growth. In the 1980s, he sold the company, by then called Millmaster Onyx Corporation, to the Gulf Oil Company. He was a trustee of the Chemist Club and president of the Salesman Association of the American Chemical Industry.
In 1971, he was appointed by Governor Rockefeller to the Scott Commission, which was investigating the city's fiscal policies, and also served on the State Charter Revision Commission for New York City. In January 1978, Mayor Koch introduced him as the deputy mayor for economic development and head of the Economic Development Corporation. Less than three months later, however, Milano left the administration.
He joined the New School's board in 1976, serving as a trustee and later vice-chairman.

Death and legacy

He died on January 29, 2000.
In 1996, the trustees of the university renamed the Center for New York City Affairs, of which he had been a member of the advisory board, as the Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy in his honor.