James R. Harvey; Former Transamerica Corp. Head

James R. Harvey, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Transamerica Corp., died Thursday in San Francisco of pneumonia. He was 61.

Harvey had been hospitalized after heart transplant surgery, a corporate spokesman said.

Born in Los Angeles and a graduate of Princeton University and UC Berkeley, Harvey joined Transamerica in 1965 and was named president in 1979. He served as chief executive officer from 1981 to 1991 and was chairman from 1983 to 1995.

During Harvey’s tenure, the company underwent major restructuring to concentrate on its original insurance and financial services. He sold off subsidiary operations acquired during the 1960s, including United Artists, Budget Car and Truck Rental and Transamerica Airlines, and bought more insurance brokerages.

“We’re getting rid of all the exciting businesses,” Harvey told The Times in 1986. “Times have changed.”

He also moved Transamerica into philanthropy, supporting groups that deal with hunger and homelessness. In gratitude, the Glide Memorial Church established a special fund in his name.

Harvey served as a director and chairman of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Presidio Council of the Golden Gate National Park Assn., and director of the National Park Foundation, the Nature Conservancy and the California Parks Foundation. He also had been a trustee of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., and an advisor to UC Berkeley’s Walter A. Haas School of Business.

An avid outdoorsman, Harvey maintained a ranch in Moraga as well as a home in San Francisco. He is survived by his wife, Charlene; four daughters, a sister and four grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The family has asked that any donations be made to Glide Memorial Church or the James R. Harvey Presidio Restoration Fund of the Golden Gate National Park Assn.