Tony Schulte, whose long career included top spots with Simon & Schuster and Knopf, drowned while swimming in a lake at his summer home in Rangeley, Me. on Sunday, June 17. He was 82.

Schulte joined Knopf in 1968 from S&S along with Bob Gottlieb and Nina Bourne and helped turn Knopf into a literary powerhouse. After leaving Knopf, where he was v-p, Schulte worked for the investment banking firm Veronis Schuler where he advised on publishing mergers and acquisitions. He later joined with Richard Gallen and David Lamb to form GSL Partners, a firm that specialized in book publishing acquisitions. Schulte was long active on a number of publishing boards and charities, including the New Press where he was a member of the board, and the UJA.

A memorial service is planned for September.