Richard S. LeFrak (born 1945) is an American billionaire businessman. He is chairman and CEO of LeFrak, a privately held, family-run company based in New York City that owns, develops, and manages real estate. He is one of the biggest landlords in the New York

tri-state area Tri-state area is an informal term in the United States which can refer to any of multiple areas that lie across three states. When referring to populated areas, the term implies a shared economy or culture among the area's residents, typically c ...

Early life and education

LeFrak was born in 1945 to a Jewish family in New York City, one of four children of Ethel Stone and real estate developer Samuel J. LeFrak.New York Times: "Paid Notice: Deaths LEFRAK, SAMUEL J."
April 18, 2003 LeFrak received a B.A. and graduated cum laude from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

. LeFrak also holds a J.D. from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. In 1998, LeFrak received an honorary doctorate degree from

.Amherst Magazine: "Three new trustees join Amherst College board "
Fall 2005

Career

LeFrak joined his family's real estate firm, LeFrak, in 1968. In 1975 he was appointed president. In 2003, he was elected chairman and CEO following the death of his father, Samuel J. LeFrak. In 1986 LeFrak and his father began building in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

on the site of abandoned piers and rail yards. The area is now known as

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

, a 600-acre neighborhood with 8 office buildings, 13 apartment towers, 2 hotels, an urban beach, schools, a retail mall, and parks. LeFrak is also credited with leading the LeFrak organization's expansion and diversification outside of the New York area. In 2008 the company purchased a 12-story office building on

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

as well as a medical building in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. In 2012 LeFrak purchased a stake in a South Beach, Miami luxury mixed-use property, including a hotel formerly known as the Gansevoort. The project is expected to open in early 2014 as the eco-minded 1 Hotel Homes. LeFrak was ranked #16 on the ''Commercial Observers Real Estate Power 100 in 2013, # 20 in 2012, #20 in 2011, #10 in 2010, #18 in 2009, and #64 in 2008.

Boards

LeFrak currently sits on the board of directors of the Prostate Cancer Foundation and is a member of the board of trustees of the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

. From 1995 to 2007, he was a board member of

Smith & Wollensky Smith & Wollensky is the name of several high-end American and international steakhouses, with locations in New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami Beach, Las Vegas, London, Taipei, Seoul and Taichung. The first Smith and Wollensky steakhouse was founde ...

. Previously, he served on the board of trustees of

and Trinity School; was a member of the New York State Banking Board; and served as director of

BankUnited BankUnited, Inc., is the bank holding company of BankUnited, N.A., a national bank founded in 1984 and headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida. The company operates in Florida, the regions in and around Atlanta, Georgia and Dallas, Texas, and in ...

, Florida for four years.

Philanthropy

LeFrak presides over the Richard S. and Karen LeFrak Charitable Foundation, a private charity whose mission includes the support of charitable organizations. Harrison has sat on the Board of Trustees of

New York-Presbyterian Hospital The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (abbreviated as NYP) is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City. It is the primary teaching hospital for Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The hospit ...

since 2016.

Controversy

In 2017, St. Joseph's Chapel, the Catholic September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center, located in the Gateway Plaza in

Battery Park City Battery Park City is a mainly residential planned community and neighborhood on the west side of the southern tip of the island of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by the Hudson River on the west, the Hudson River shoreline on the nor ...

, was threatened with closure due to the St. Peter's parish's reluctance or inability to pay a tripling of its rent by a management company run by LeFrak corporation and partners.

Personal life

He is married to Karen Tucker,New York Times: "Paid Notice: Deaths TUCKER, PAULINE"
August 28, 2002 a

children's author Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

. They live in New York and

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. They have two sons: *James "Jamie" Tucker LeFrak (born 1973) - vice-chairman and managing director of LeFrak. In 2009, he married Susan Caroline Bierbaum. *Harrison "Harry" Tucker LeFrak (born 1971) - vice-chairman and managing director of LeFrak.

Politics

LeFrak contributed $100,000 to

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's 2020 presidential campaign. LeFrak had previously called Trump, a fellow real-estate developer, "a dear friend".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:LeFrak, Richard 1945 births Living people Amherst College alumni American billionaires American chairpersons of corporations American chief executives American businesspeople in real estate Columbia Law School alumni American philanthropists LeFrak family American landlords Trinity School (New York City) alumni