Born in St. Louis, Missouri, and raised in Westfield, New Jersey, where he attended public schools, Sargent has called Darien home for the past forty years. He graduated from Columbia College in 1966 and earned his MBA from Columbia Business School in 1968.
Following business school, he joined Smith Barney in 1968, beginning a career in investment management that has spanned nearly six decades. He remains active with the firm’s successor, Morgan Stanley, where he serves as Senior Vice President and Private Wealth Manager in its Westport office. A Chartered Financial Analyst, he previously served as Chairman of Smith Barney’s Capital Management Division, responsible for institutional investment management, and as a member of the firm’s Corporate Board.
Sargent has been deeply involved in civic affairs in Darien, serving as President of the Darien Historical Society and for more than twenty years as a member and Chairman of the Town Retirement Board. In 2026, he had the distinction of driving the Grand Marshal in Darien’s Memorial Day Parade.
His charitable and conservation interests have included service on the Board of the Inner City Foundation of Fairfield County and as President of Game Conservancy USA. He currently serves on the Board of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, its parent organization in the United Kingdom.
An active club member, Sargent served as President of the University Club of New York from 1987 to 1990 and belongs to several other New York City clubs, as well as Wee Burn Country Club in Darien. His outdoor interests are reflected in his memberships in the Camp Fire Club of America, Mashomack Preserve in New York State, and Ski Club 10 in Warren, Vermont, where he also serves on the Board.
He and his wife, Janet McInerney Sargent, have one son, Matthew, who lives in Darien with his wife, Brenna Kelly, and their son, Win.
