Walter Shorenstein

Walter Shorenstein
Born (1915-02-15)February 15, 1915
Glen Cove, New York
Died June 24, 2010(2010-06-24) (aged 95)
Nationality United States
Alma mater B.A. University of Pennsylvania
Occupation Real estate developer
Spouse(s) Phyllis Finley
Children Joan Shorenstein
Carole Shorenstein Hays
Douglas W. Shorenstein

Walter H. Shorenstein (February 15, 1915 June 24, 2010)[1] was an American billionaire real estate developer and investor. His company, Shorenstein Company, owned 130 buildings totaling at least 28,000,000 square feet (2,600,000 m2) of office space at the time of his death.[2]

Early life

Shorenstein was born to a Jewish family[3][2] in 1915 in Glen Cove, New York, son of a clothier.[1] His uncle, Hyman Shorenstein, was a political "kingmaker" in New York during the early 20th century, and ancestor to a number of New York politicians.[4] In 1934, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1941, he enlisted in the United States Air Force.[2]

Career

Upon his discharge from the Air Force, Shorenstein moved to San Francisco with savings of $1,000.[5] He worked as a commercial real estate broker, becoming a partner at Milton Meyer and Co., a firm he bought in 1960 upon its founder's death and renamed after himself.[2] He and others attributed his success in business to "street smarts".[2][1]

In 1993, Shorenstein helped an investor group purchase the San Francisco Giants baseball team thus preventing the franchise from moving to Florida.[2]

Philanthropy and political activities

Shorenstein became active politically and was a significant fundraiser for the Democratic Party. He was a major donor to civic and charitable causes, as well as higher education.[2] He was prominent in the Jewish-American political and philanthropic community.[6] In honor of his daughter who died of cancer in 1985, Shorenstein founded the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy — renamed the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy in 2014 — at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He also endowed the Walter H. Shorenstein Forum for Asia Pacific Studies at Stanford University.[7] In 1993, he and Mikhail Gorbachev established the Gorbachev Foundation in San Francisco.[5]

Family

In 1945, Shorenstein married Phyllis Finley of Wellington, Kansas. She met her husband while working as a volunteer ambulance driver at Travis Air Force Base, where Shorenstein was stationed during World War II.[8] Phyllis converted to Judaism.[9] They had three children:[8]

References

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