| Who is it? | Biochemist |
| Birth Day | June 04, 1916 |
| Birth Place | Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
| Age | 104 YEARS OLD |
| Died On | May 19, 2009(2009-05-19) (aged 92)\nSeattle, Washington |
| Birth Sign | Cancer |
| Citizenship | American |
| Spouse(s) | Lenore Mandelbaum (1941–1983; her death; 3 children) Margaret Gallagher Roth (?–2006; her death) |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998 |
| Fields | biochemistry |
| Institutions | SUNY Downstate Medical Center 1956–2009 Washington University in St. Louis 1949–1956 Cornell University 1940–1949 |
Robert F. Furchgott, a renowned biochemist in the United States, is estimated to have a net worth ranging between $100,000 to $1 million in 2024. Furchgott gained prominence for his groundbreaking research on the role of nitric oxide in cardiovascular health, work which earned him a share of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Throughout his illustrious career, he made significant contributions to the field of pharmacology, particularly in understanding the mechanisms of vasodilation. With his numerous accolades and achievements, it comes as no surprise that Furchgott has amassed a notable amount of wealth.
Furchgott was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to Arthur Furchgott (December 1884 – January 1971), a department store owner, and Pena (Sorentrue) Furchgott. He graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1937), and went on to earn a Ph.D in biochemistry at Northwestern University (1940), immediately joining a medical faculty thereafter.
Furchgott was faculty member of Cornell University Medical College from 1940 to 1949, of Washington University School of Medicine from 1949 to 1956, and State University of New York Downstate Medical Center from 1956 to 2009, as professor of pharmacology.
In 1978, Furchgott discovered a substance in endothelial cells that relaxes blood vessels, calling it endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). By 1986, he had worked out EDRF's nature and mechanism of action, and determined that EDRF was in fact nitric oxide (NO), an important compound in many aspects of cardiovascular physiology. This research is important in explaining a wide variety of neuronal, cardiovascular, and general physiologic processed of central importance in human health and disease.
Furchgott, who was Jewish, lived for most of his married and career life in Woodmere, NY (Long Island). He was married to Lenore Mandelbaum (February 1915 – April 1983) from 1941 until she died aged 68. They had three daughters: Jane, Terry and Susan. His daughter, Susan, was a prolific Artist in the San Francisco counter culture and a co-founder of the Kerista Commune (she was also known as "Even Eve" and "Eve Furchgott"). Robert Furchgott spent his later years with Margaret Gallagher Roth, who died March 14, 2006. He served as a professor emeritus at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. In 2008 he moved to Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood. Furchgott died on May 19, 2009 in Seattle. He is survived by his three daughters, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
In addition to receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of nitric oxide as a new cellular signal—shared in 1998 with Louis Ignarro and Ferid Murad —Furchgott also received a Gairdner Foundation International Award (1991) for his groundbreaking discoveries, and the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (1996), the latter also with Ferid Murad.
