James E. Devitt (1920 – May 1994) was an American lawyer and insurance executive who served as president of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York.
Early life
He was a son of Louis James Devitt (1892–1985) and Nora Gertrude (née Cavanaugh) Devitt (1894–1982). Among his siblings was brother William Louis Devitt, also a soldier and lawyer, who wrote Shavetail: The Odyssey of an Infantry Lieutenant in World War II.[1]
Devitt graduated from the University of Minnesota before attending Harvard Law School, from where he graduated in 1949. During World War II, he served as a major in the U.S. Army.[2]
Career
After practicing law in St. Paul, Minnesota for two years, he began a career in insurance with the Northwestern National Life Insurance Company in 1951.[2]
In 1956, Devitt joined Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York as director of group operations, becoming senior vice president in 1969 and executive vice president in 1972.[3][4] In 1976, he was elected president of Mutual Life, which at the time was the nation's 19th largest life insurance company.[5] He became chairman in 1978 before he retired in 1983 after 26 years with MONY.[6][7]
Personal life
Devitt died of complications from Alzheimer's disease in May 1994 at Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton, Florida.[2] He lived in Holmes Beach, Florida and was survived by his widow, Judith.[2]
References
