Neil David Levin (September 16, 1954 – September 11, 2001) was an American businessman and political figure who was executive director of the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

from April 2001 until his death during the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

on the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may also refer to: Buildings * World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...

later that year.

Early life

Neil David Levin was a native of Brooklyn.

Career

Neil Levin graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, PA. In February 1995, Levin was appointed by

New York Governor The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ha ...

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as the mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984 ...

to serve as the state's Superintendent of Banks. He took over from acting Superintendent Carmine M. Tenga. In this role, Levin was the state's chief banking regulator, head of the Department of Banking, and Chairman of the State Banking Board. He was succeeded by

Elizabeth McCaul Elizabeth McCaul has been a member of the European Central Bank's supervisory board since 2019. She previously served as superintendent of banks for New York state, and as the head of the New York State Banking Department. Before that, McCaul held ...

as Superintendent of Banks. In 1997, Pataki named Levin as the state Superintendent of Insurance, which made him the state's chief insurance regulator. Pataki also named him the Chairman of the Commission on the Recovery of Holocaust Victims' Assets, which arranged for the return of assets to families in New York. In early 2001, Pataki and then New Jersey Gov.

Donald DiFrancesco Donald Thomas DiFrancesco (born November 20, 1944) is a retired American politician who served as the 51st governor of New Jersey from 2001 to 2002. He succeeded Christine Todd Whitman after her resignation to become Administrator of the Enviro ...

named Levin as the executive director of the Port Authority. In this role he was the chief executive officer of the agency which runs the World Trade Center, various bridges and tunnels around

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the three airports in the New York City area, the seaports in New York and New Jersey, and various international trade programs. Levin was executive director for five months before his death.

September 11 attacks and death

Levin worked in a corner office on the 67th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower. On September 11, 2001, Levin was at the

Windows on the World Windows on the World was a complex of dining, meeting, and entertainment venues on the top floors (106th and 107th) of the North Tower (Building One) of the original World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. ...

restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower. When

American Airlines Flight 11 American Airlines Flight 11 was a domestic Airline, passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijacked airliner was deliberately crashed into ...

was deliberately crashed into the tower between floors 93–99, all escape routes were cut off for anyone higher than the 91st floor, and Levin became one of roughly 800 people trapped in the upper floors of the burning skyscraper. His body was recovered in April 2002, nearly seven months after the attacks. Before the tower was struck, Levin was speaking on the phone with his executive adviser, Karen Eastman. She later related that when

hit the tower, "Our reaction was 'What was that?' It hit on the opposite side so we just felt the impact and the building kept shaking and swaying for a long time."

Personal life and legacy

Levin lived in Manhattan. At the

National 9/11 Memorial The National September 11 Memorial & Museum (also known as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum) is a memorial and museum that are part of the World Trade Center complex, in New York City, created for remembering the September 11 attacks in 2001 which k ...

, Levin is memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-65. He is buried at Mount Lebanon Cemetery in

Glendale, Queens Glendale is a neighborhood in the west-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. It is bounded by Forest Hills, Queens, Forest Hills to the east, Ridgewood, Queens, Ridgewood to the west, Woodhaven, Queens, ...

, New York. The Neil D. Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce was established by Governor

and the

State of New York New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

in his memory, and is a part of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

References

External links

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Levin, Neil David 2001 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Businesspeople from New York City Goldman Sachs people Lafayette College alumni Long Island University alumni Maurice A. Deane School of Law alumni Murdered American Jews 21st-century American Jews New York (state) Republicans People murdered in New York City Politicians from New York City Port Authority of New York and New Jersey people State cabinet secretaries of New York (state) Terrorism deaths in New York (state) Victims of the September 11 attacks 1954 births Burials at Mount Lebanon Cemetery