Fred Trump

Fred Trump was an influential American real estate developer and businessman, born on October 11, 1905, in the Bronx, New York City. He was the son of German immigrants and began his career in the 1920s, focusing on home construction and sales. Eventually, he took over the real estate business founded by his parents, which would later become known as the Trump Organization.

Under Fred's leadership, the company achieved significant success, constructing and managing single-family homes in Queens and building apartments for war workers during World War II. Over his career, he was responsible for the development of more than twenty-seven thousand apartments in New York. However, his business practices drew scrutiny, leading to investigations for profiteering by a U.S. Senate committee in 1954 and by New York State in 1966.

In 1971, Fred's son, Donald Trump, took the reins of the family business. Just two years later, they faced a lawsuit from the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division for racial discrimination against black individuals. Despite these controversies, Fred and his wife, Mary, were known for their substantial financial support to their children, providing over one billion dollars in today's value and avoiding significant gift taxes.

In 1992, Fred and Donald established a subsidiary to manage the transfer of Fred's wealth to his heirs. Shortly before his passing, Fred transferred ownership of most of his properties to his surviving children, who later sold them for more than sixteen times their previously declared worth. Notably, Fred was arrested at a Ku Klux Klan demonstration in 1927, although there is no conclusive evidence of his support for the organization. Throughout his life, he distanced himself from his German heritage to avoid associations with Nazism and actively supported Jewish causes.