# Marc Pachter

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**Marc Jay Pachter** (May 7, 1943 – February 17, 2024) was an American museum director who headed up the United States [National Portrait Gallery](/source/National_Portrait_Gallery_(United_States)) from 2000 until 2007 and was the acting director (after coming back out of retirement) of the [National Museum of American History](/source/National_Museum_of_American_History) between 2011 and 2012, both at the [Smithsonian](/source/Smithsonian).[1][2][3]

Pacter was born in [the Bronx](/source/The_Bronx) to Jack and Ferle (Greenfield) Pachter, and moved with them to California at age one.[4] He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964, and enrolled as a [Woodrow Wilson Fellow](/source/The_Institute_for_Citizens_%26_Scholars) at [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University_Department_of_History) as a graduate student in American history.[4]

While at the NPG, Pachter oversaw a $300 million renovation of the museum's building, and played an instrumental role in acquiring the [Lansdowne portrait](/source/Lansdowne_portrait) by [Gilbert Stuart](/source/Gilbert_Stuart) of [George Washington](/source/George_Washington) for the museum.[4] When he retired as director of the National Portrait Gallery in 2007, the Gallery in turn commissioned a portrait by [Robert Liberace](/source/Robert_Liberace) of Pachter.[5]

Pachter gave a talk entitled "The Art of the Interview" at the EG conference in January 2008; a video of the talk is posted on the [TED](/source/TED_(conference)) website.[6]

In February 2008, Pachter was a guest on *[The Colbert Report](/source/List_of_The_Colbert_Report_episodes_(2008))*, in which he discussed with [Stephen Colbert](/source/Stephen_Colbert) the host's portrait hanging in the National Portrait Gallery and the effect it was having upon attendance at the museum.[7]

Pachter died of a heart attack during an extended stay in Bangkok on February 17, 2024, at the age of 80.[8]

## References

1. Trescott, Jacqueline (December 12, 2006). ["Portrait Gallery Director to Retire in '07"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/AR2006121101404.html). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)* Pachter, 63

1. ["News Releases | Newsdesk"](http://newsdesk.si.edu/mobile/releases?id=4031). newsdesk.si.edu. Retrieved 2015-09-20.

1. ["Marc Pachter to Serve as Acting Director of National Museum of American History"](http://artdaily.com/news/49086/Marc-Pachter-to-Serve-as-Acting-Director-of-National-Museum-of-American-History). *ArtDaily*. July 14, 2011.

1. Roberts, Sam (2024-02-25). ["Marc Pachter, Who Revived National Portrait Gallery, Dies at 80"](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/arts/marc-pachter-dead.html). *The New York Times*. Vol. 173, no. 60075. p. A23. [ISSN 0362-4331](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 2024-02-25.

1. [http://www.nog.si.edu/docs/sum07.pdf](http://www.nog.si.edu/docs/sum07.pdf) [dead link]

1. ["Marc Pachter: The art of the interview"](https://www.ted.com/talks/marc_pachter_the_art_of_the_interview). *EG 2008*. January 2008.

1. ["Colbert Report: Marc Pachter | Politics is Stupid"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140331192143/http://politicsisstupid.com/link/92477). politicsisstupid.com. Archived from [the original](http://politicsisstupid.com/link/92477) on 2014-03-31. Retrieved 2015-09-20.

1. Murphy, Brian. ["Marc Pachter, who led race to save George Washington portrait, dies at 80"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/02/22/marc-pachter-portrait-museum-dies/). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. Retrieved February 22, 2024.

## External links

- [Video of Pachter's EG2008 talk from the TED website](https://www.ted.com/talks/marc_pachter_the_art_of_the_interview)
- [Marc Pachter](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2930586/) at IMDb

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