| Seymour B. Durst | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 7, 1913 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 15, 1995 (aged 81) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Residence | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Seymour B. Durst (September 7, 1913 — May 15, 1995) was a New York real estate investor and developer. He was also a philanthropist and the inventor of the National Debt Clock.
Durst attended the Horace Mann School in his native New York City. He went on to study at the University of Southern California, where he earned a BA in accounting in 1935. He married and had four children, Douglas, Robert, Thomas and Wendy. His wife died circa 1950, although it was never established if her death, by falling or jumping off the roof of the Scarsdale family mansion, was accidental or suicide. Her son Robert witnessed the event. Seymour Durst never remarried.
In 1940, Durst joined the real estate firm, The Durst Organization, which had been founded by his father, Joseph. After Joseph's death in 1974, Seymour took control of the Durst Organization. The company invested in Manhattan real estate, based upon Durst's belief that one should never buy anything one cannot walk to.[1]
Durst was vocal about his beliefs that the government should not interfere in real estate transactions. He was also concerned with the ballooning national debt. In 1989, Durst created and installed the National Debt Clock on a Durst Organization property in order to draw attention to the then $2.7 trillion debt.[2]
After Seymour Durst's death, his son Douglas and nephew Jonathan took over control of the family business.
Seymour’s son Robert Durst was implicated in three separate murders, which are fictionalized in the 2010 movie All Good Things.