Craig Newmark facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Craig Newmark
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Newmark in 2023
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| Born |
Craig Alexander Newmark
December 6, 1952 Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Education | Case Western Reserve University (BS, MS) |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
| Organization | Craig Newmark Philanthropies |
| Known for | Founder of Craigslist |
| Spouse(s) |
Eileen Whelpley
(m. 2012) |
Craig Alexander Newmark was born on December 6, 1952. He is an American internet expert and a generous giver, best known for starting the popular website Craigslist. Before creating Craigslist, he worked as a computer programmer for big companies like IBM and Bank of America. Newmark was the main boss of Craigslist from when it started until the year 2000. In 2014, he started Craig Newmark Philanthropies to help many good causes.
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Growing Up and School
Craig Newmark was born in 1952 in Morristown, New Jersey. His parents, Joyce and Lee Newmark, were Jewish. His dad sold insurance and meat, and his mom was a bookkeeper.
When Craig was a kid, he loved science fiction and comic books. He even wanted to be a paleontologist, someone who studies dinosaurs and ancient life. When he was thirteen, his father passed away from cancer. After that, his mom moved him and his younger brother, Jeff, to a different part of Morristown.
As a teenager, Craig went to Morristown High School. There, he became very interested in physics. He once joked that he was "possible nerd patient zero" because he wore taped-up glasses and a pocket protector. In high school, he sang in the choir, joined the physics club, and was a co-captain of the debate team. He was also part of the honor society. Craig finished high school in 1971.
During his first year of college, Craig started studying computer science. He earned two degrees, a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science, in computing and information sciences from Case Western Reserve University. He finished these degrees in 1975 and 1977.
His Career Journey
Before he created Craigslist, Craig Newmark worked as a computer programmer for various companies. His very first job after college was with IBM, where he worked for 17 years. During this time, he lived in different cities like Boca Raton, Florida, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In 1993, he moved to San Francisco for a job with Charles Schwab. There, a coworker showed him the World Wide Web, which was quite new and mostly free of ads back then.
Starting Craigslist
In 1995, Craig started sending out an email list of upcoming events to a few friends. He wanted to help people connect and build a sense of community. More and more people asked to be added to the list. As the list grew, it included more types of information.
In 1996, Newmark launched craigslist.org. This website allowed people to share information and classified ads, mostly for free. It began as a simple newsletter about events in San Francisco. He ran it as a hobby while still working as a software engineer.
In 1999, Craigslist became a company. In 2000, Craig Newmark stepped down as the main boss and gave the role to Jim Buckmaster. Since then, Craig has not been involved in the daily running of Craigslist. However, as of 2018, he still helped customers with problems, especially dealing with spammers and scammers.
In 2005, Time magazine named Craig Newmark as one of the 100 people who were shaping the world.
Craig Newmark also serves on the boards of several non-profit groups. These include the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and Girls Who Code. He also advises many other non-profit organizations.
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Craig Newmark has been using his wealth to support good causes since 2004. He is very interested in helping journalism and making the internet safer through cybersecurity.
In 2015, he started Craig Newmark Philanthropies. This organization helps manage his different charitable efforts. For example, in 2016, he gave $50 million to support military families, help people register to vote, and encourage women in technology.
In December 2022, he announced that he plans to give almost all of his money to charity.
Supporting Veterans
Craig Newmark has helped veterans in many ways. He even called himself a "Nerd-in-Residence" while working with the VA Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning. He used his computer skills to help the Blue Button project. This project makes electronic health records available to veterans, which helps speed up claims and improve their care.
Craig Newmark Philanthropies has given millions of dollars to groups that support military and veteran communities. This includes organizations like The Bob Woodruff Foundation and Military Veterans in Journalism. In 2023, he donated $1 million to Blue Star Families. He also pledged an additional $100 million to groups focused on veterans and military families.
Making the Internet Safer
Craig Newmark is a big supporter of cybersecurity. This means making sure computers and online information are safe from attacks.
In 2017, he gave $500,000 to Wikipedia. This money helped them fight online harassment and improve tools for moderators who keep the site safe.
In 2019, he donated $6 million to Consumer Reports. This helped them create a Digital Lab to focus on people's online privacy and cybersecurity.
He has also supported programs that fight ransomware, which is a type of cyberattack. He has given money to groups like the Global Cyber Alliance and Women in CyberSecurity. He also supports the Girl Scouts for their cybersecurity programs and is a strong supporter of Girls Who Code.
In 2022, Newmark promised $50 million to the Cyber Civil Defense initiative. In 2023, Craig Newmark Philanthropies announced it would double its donations for fighting cyber threats to $100 million.
Helping Journalism Thrive
Craig Newmark believes that good journalism is very important. He has given a lot of money to support news organizations and help journalists.
Between 2016 and 2020, he donated $170 million to support journalism. This also included efforts to fight harassment against journalists and ensure fair elections. For example, he gave $1 million each to ProPublica and the Poynter Institute in 2017.
In 2018, he gave $20 million to start The Markup, which is a non-profit news organization. That same year, he donated $1 million to Mother Jones to help them fight fake news.
Newmark also created a $20 million fund for the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Because of his support, the school was renamed the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. In 2024, he announced another $10 million gift to this school. The goal is to eventually make the school tuition-free for all students.
He has also supported other journalism groups like the Center for Public Integrity, PolitiFact, and the Columbia Journalism Review.
Other Ways He Helps
Craig Newmark has supported many other causes too. In 2015, he donated money for a special composting toilet at a community garden in Morristown. It was even named "Craig Newmark Memorial Latrine #2."
He has also given millions of dollars to charities that work on hunger issues and food security. He supported the Marshall Plan for Moms, which asked the government to help families with things like paid family leave.
Newmark has also given money to groups like OneVoice, Sunlight Foundation, and the Wikimedia Foundation (which runs Wikipedia). He has given $100,000 to groups that rescue wildlife and has said he is involved in pigeon rescue.
His Personal Life
Craig Newmark married Eileen Whelpley in December 2012. They enjoy birding together. He lives in New York City and prefers to use public transportation instead of owning a car.
Newmark describes himself as a non-practicing, secular Jew. He jokes that his rabbi was the singer Leonard Cohen. He also likes the musicians Tori Amos and Lou Reed, and the TV shows Pushing Daisies and The Simpsons.
Craig Newmark is a very wealthy person, with hundreds of millions of dollars. He has said that by making Craigslist mostly free, he gave away a large part of his potential wealth.
Newmark has spoken out on some political topics. He supported Barack Obama's election campaign in 2008 and Joe Biden's campaign in 2020. He believes in fighting corruption and supporting veterans.
Images for kids
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Newmark in 2023
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Newmark in 2014
