Arthur Imperatore Sr. facts for kids

Arthur Edward Imperatore Sr. (born July 8, 1925 – died November 18, 2020) was an American businessman from New Jersey. He was famous for starting the NY Waterway ferry service. This company helped many people travel across the water.

Arthur Imperatore also founded a large trucking company called A-P-A Transport Corp. with his brothers. He even owned a professional hockey team, the Colorado Rockies, for a few years. Later, he bought land in Weehawken, New Jersey, and created the ferry service to help people get to and from the new homes he built there. The NY Waterway grew to have 36 ferries.

Early Life and Military Service

Arthur Imperatore was born in West New York, New Jersey, on July 8, 1925. He was one of ten children in his family. His parents, Eugene and Teresa Imperatore, were Italian-Americans who owned a grocery store.

When Arthur was a child, he often rode the ferries on the Hudson River. He would travel to Yankee Stadium to watch games. During World War II, he served in the United States Army Air Corps. He was a navigator on large bomber planes like the B-24 and B-29.

Starting a Business Empire

A-P-A Transport Corp.

After the war, in 1947, Arthur and his brothers started a local trucking business. They used a truck that was left over from the U.S. Army. This small business grew into A-P-A Transport Corp..

It became one of the biggest freight trucking companies in the United States. The company was known for moving goods across different states. A-P-A Transport Corp. operated until 2001.

Owning a Hockey Team

On July 12, 1978, Arthur Imperatore bought the Colorado Rockies ice hockey team. He bought it from an oilman named Jack Vickers. Arthur wanted to move the team from Denver to a new arena in New Jersey.

However, many fans in Denver were not happy about the possible move. Before he could move the team, Arthur sold the Rockies. He sold the team to Peter Gilbert in 1981. The NHL approved the sale on February 10, 1981.

Creating NY Waterway

In 1981, Arthur Imperatore bought a long piece of land along the waterfront in Weehawken and West New York. This land used to be old train yards. He bought it for $7.5 million.

Arthur planned to build homes on this land. But he needed a way for people to easily travel to Manhattan. The bridges and tunnels were often very crowded. So, in 1986, he started the NY Waterway ferry service. The first trip had only a few passengers. Some people even called it "Arthur's Folly," meaning it was a foolish idea.

But the ferry service quickly became popular. It grew to manage 36 ferries and 80 buses. Each day, about 32,000 passengers used the service. The NY Waterway helped new buildings and communities grow along the river.

In 1989, Arthur Imperatore opened a fancy restaurant called Arthur's Landing. It was located in Weehawken, right along the Hudson River. He even once thought about building a place that looked like Venice on the New Jersey waterfront.

Personal Life

Arthur Imperatore lived in Fort Lee, New Jersey. He was married to Mei-Ling Yee-Imperatore. He had a son and a daughter, and four step-children.

In 1988, Arthur Imperatore was listed on the Forbes 400 list. This list names the richest Americans. He was on the list for that one year. Arthur Imperatore passed away on November 18, 2020, after being sick for a while.

Honors

Arthur Imperatore was honored in several ways. The Arthur E. Imperatore School of Sciences and Arts at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, was named after him. In 2017, he was also added to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

See also

• List of Italian American business people
• Odonyms in Hudson County, New Jersey