NYSE's 1st Female Member Dies at 80

Muriel 'Mickie' Siebert was also New York's 1st banking superintendent
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 26, 2013 11:05 AM CDT
NYSE's 1st Female Member Dies at 80
This May 9, 1995 file photo shows Muriel Siebert on the floor of her firm. Siebert, who became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, has died of complications of cancer at 80.   (WYATT COUNTS)

Muriel "Mickie" Siebert, who started as a trainee on Wall Street and became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, died Saturday of complications of cancer at age 80. Her death was confirmed by Jane Macon, a director of Siebert Financial, which Siebert founded. Macon said Siebert was "a fabulous woman, a trailblazer, and a pioneer" who set a high standard for those who entered the financial world after her. "She always pushed the doors open and kept them open for other people to follow."

Siebert moved to New York at age 22, and started her career as a trainee at Bache & Co. earning $65 a week. She went on to become an industry specialist in airlines and aerospace and bought a seat on the New York Stock Exchange in 1967 after struggling with those who resisted her efforts to join. She established her investment firm the same year, taking a leave of absence in 1977 when she was appointed New York state's first woman banking superintendent. As bank failures became common, Siebert launched protective measures: She reorganized troubled banks, forced bank mergers, and convinced the federal government to advance millions of dollars to make the new mergers viable. "Mickie was a pioneer and recognized as a leader throughout the financial services industry and beyond," says Siebert Financial's COO. Siebert, who lived in New York City, never married and did not have children. (More New York Stock Exchange stories.)

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