Wall Street’s Old Guard turned out Wednesday night to celebrate the 100th birthday of Billy Salomon, whose father and uncles founded Salomon Brothers.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a general partner at Salomon until the firm was sold in 1981, came to the Council on Foreign Relations building at 68th and Park to pay his respects.
And a contingent from Florida flew up, including former Palm Beach mayor Lesly Smith, Vanderbilt heiress Ginny Burke, Pimco honcho Hans Kertess and Chris Cuomo’s in-laws Regina and Rainer Greeven.
Salomon, who started on Wall Street in 1933, told Bloomberg this week that deals in his day were often done on a handshake. “Today you have lightning-fast trading which no one understands. It’s a vast difference. It was more of a gentlemanly game.”