Chrystian Alden Wurmser, a JPMorgan investment banker in its public finance group for 12 years, died Feb. 3 of leukemia in San Francisco. He was 34.
Mr. Wurmser was widely considered to be one of the top analytic minds in the public finance industry. During his career at JPMorgan, Mr. Wurmser performed quantitative analysis on more than $40 billion in transactions, including the $11.3 billion California Department of Water Resources transaction in 2002, which still stands as the largest transaction ever in public finance.
He also was involved in transactions for New York City, the Piedmont Municipal Power Agency in South Carolina, and a number of other issuers on the East Coast.
Since moving to San Francisco in 1997, Mr. Wurmser provided the quantitative support on every public finance transaction done by JPMorgan in the western U.S., including those of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, and the states of California, New Mexico, and Nevada, among others. Before working at JPMorgan, Mr. Wurmser worked in the public finance department at Dean Witter for a short time.
Born in Connecticut and raised in Massachusetts, he graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University in 1992. Apart from his work, Mr. Wurmser was a passionate football fan, and an avid bridge and foosball player.
Surrounded by friends and family when he died, Mr. Wurmser is survived by his partner of four years, Stephen Yarbrough; brothers Andrew and Jonathan Wurmser; parents Nancy and John Wurmser; goddaughter Samantha Gove; and a close circle of friends and colleagues.
A tribute was to be held at the W Hotel in San Francisco on Feb. 18. A New York tribute is planned for March 2 at JPMorgan's offices at 270 Park Avenue, 49th floor, at 5:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a scholarship endowment in Mr. Wurmser' name has been established at Princeton. Donations may be sent to: Princeton University, gift records, Chrystian Wurmser '92 Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 5357, Princeton, N.J., 08543-5357. Donations by phone may be made at 1-800-258-5421.
