Steve Witkoff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steven Witkoff
|
|
|---|---|
.png)
Witkoff in 2018
|
|
| United States Special Envoy to the Middle East | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2025 |
|
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Morgan Ortagus |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Steven Charles Witkoff
March 15, 1957 New York City, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Lauren Rappoport
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Hofstra University (BA, JD) |
| Occupation | Real estate investor and developer |
Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American real estate investor and lawyer. He is known for founding the Witkoff Group, a company that buys and develops properties. He also serves as the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East.
Before becoming a property developer, he worked as a real estate lawyer. Some of his famous projects include the Daily News Building and the Woolworth Building in New York City. In January 2025, he played an important part in helping to arrange a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Steven Witkoff was born in the Bronx, New York City. He grew up on Long Island in places like Baldwin Harbor, New York and Old Westbury, New York. His father, Martin Witkoff, made ladies' coats in New York City.
Steven went to Hofstra University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980. Later, in 1983, he earned a law degree from Hofstra Law School.
Career in Real Estate
Steven Witkoff started his career as a lawyer specializing in real estate. He later became a very successful real estate investor and developer. People who work with him describe him as smart, friendly, and good at making deals.
Working as a Lawyer
After finishing law school in 1983, Witkoff worked at a law firm in New York City called Dreyer & Traub. One of his clients there was Donald Trump. They became friends after working together on a business deal.
He then worked at another New York City law firm, Rosenman & Colin, until 1986.
Developing Properties
In 1985, Steven Witkoff teamed up with Larry Gluck to start a company called Stellar Management. They decided to switch from practicing law to buying and managing real estate. They bought many apartment buildings in areas like Washington Heights, Manhattan and the Northwest Bronx. At one point, they owned 85 buildings with over 3,000 apartments.
By 1995, he started buying office buildings in lower Manhattan. In 1996, he got funding to buy 33 Maiden Lane, a 27-story building. The next year, he leased a large part of the building to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He also bought other important buildings, like the Daily News Building in Manhattan.
In 1997, Witkoff left Stellar Management and started his own company, the Witkoff Group. He became its chairman and CEO. His company began building new homes and renovating old ones. In 1998, he and his business partner Rubin Schron bought the famous Woolworth Building for $138 million. His company also started buying properties in other cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Philadelphia.
By 1998, the Witkoff Group managed 11 million square feet of business and retail space. They also owned parts of 7,500 apartments and were involved in hotel projects.
In 2013, Witkoff and Harry Macklowe bought the Park Lane Hotel in New York City for $660 million. That same year, Witkoff and Fisher Brothers bought land in Tribeca for $223 million. On this land, they built a tall residential tower called 111 Murray Street.
By 2014, he owned 30 properties in the United States and London. By 2019, the Witkoff Group owned almost 50 properties around the world.
The Witkoff Group also bought a project to build a resort and casino called Fontainebleau Las Vegas. It was planned to open in 2020 as The Drew, named after Witkoff’s son Andrew. However, construction stopped in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada. In 2021, another company bought the property. The hotel opened in December 2023, costing $3.7 billion to build.
Public Service Roles
Steven Witkoff has also taken on roles in public service.
In April 2020, during the first presidency of Donald Trump, Witkoff was part of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Group. This group was created by President Trump to help the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July 2024, Witkoff gave a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
On September 15, 2024, Witkoff was playing golf with Donald Trump in Florida. During this time, an alleged attempt was made on Trump's life. A Secret Service officer fired at the person, who then left the scene.
On November 9, 2024, Witkoff was chosen to be a co-chair for the committee planning Trump's upcoming second presidency inauguration.
US Special Envoy to the Middle East
On November 12, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he had chosen Steven Witkoff to be his Special Envoy to the Middle East. A Special Envoy is a diplomat sent by a country to deal with specific issues or regions.
In January 2025, Witkoff played a very important part in negotiating a ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas. He worked with Brett McGurk, who was President Biden’s main negotiator, and the Qatari prime minister. Witkoff's direct and strong negotiation style helped achieve a six-week ceasefire agreement. This agreement included exchanging 33 Hamas-held hostages for about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. This cooperation between people from different political parties was very rare and important for peace.
On January 29, 2025, Witkoff went to Israel and even entered Gaza. He did this to personally check on the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Personal Life
Steven Witkoff used to live on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. In 1987, he married Lauren Jill Rappoport. In 2019, he moved from New York City to Miami Beach, Florida.
He and Lauren have three sons. Their son Zach is a co-founder of a cryptocurrency company called World Liberty Financial. Their son Alexander is a co-CEO of the Witkoff Group.
Witkoff has served on important committees, including the Executive Committee for the Real Estate Board of New York. He has also been a Trustee for the Intrepid Foundation and on the Board of Trustees of Hofstra University since 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Steve Witkoff para niños
