Dick was born Aug. 9, 1929, in the Bronx, to Samuel and Ida Shapiro Schwartz and attended Davis High School in Mount Vernon, N.Y.
At Princeton he earned his bachelor’s degree in SPIA, was in the ROTC, and roomed with David Coleman. After two years in the Army he earned his law degree from Yale. In 1954 he married Sally-Jane Heit; their marriage ended in divorce.
By 1966 Dick had founded BoatUS, short for Boat Owners Association of the United States, which became the largest recreational boating organization in the country. Primarily it provides members with towing and insurance services. In 2006 Dick was made an honorary commodore in the Coast Guard. BoatUS had 500,000 members by the time it was sold to Berkshire Hathaway in 2007. Dick retired as chairman of the board in 2014.
He died Feb. 11, 2015. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Beth Newburger Schwartz; his children, Diane, Lori Ann, and Pamela; stepchildren Mark Newburger, Lori Marks, Eric Newburger, and Jill McCowan; and their families. Memorial contributions may be made to the Richard Schwartz Memorial Fund, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th Street SW, Washington, D.C., 20024.