Ted Lerner facts for kids

Theodore Nathan Lerner (October 15, 1925 – February 12, 2023) was a successful American businessman. He was known for building many buildings and shopping centers. He also owned the Washington Nationals baseball team. Ted Lerner started his own real estate company, Lerner Enterprises. This company became the biggest private landowner in the Washington metropolitan area. It owns many different types of properties, like stores, homes, and hotels. It also owns Chelsea Piers in New York City. In 2015, Forbes magazine said he was the richest person in Maryland.

Early Life and Education

Ted Lerner grew up in Northwest Washington D.C. His family was Orthodox Jewish. He was the oldest of three children. His father, Mayer, came from Palestine in 1921. His mother, Ethel, came from Lithuania.

He went to Raymond Elementary School and McFarland Junior High. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1944.

Lerner served in the U.S. Army as a typist during the end of World War II. After the war, he used the G.I. Bill to go to George Washington University. He earned an Associate of Arts degree. Then, he got a law degree from the George Washington University Law School in 1949. While studying law, he sold houses on weekends. This work made him very interested in real estate.

Building a Business Empire

In 1952, Ted Lerner borrowed $250 from his wife. With this money, he started his real estate company, Lerner Enterprises. The company began in Rockville, Maryland.

Lerner Enterprises has created many big projects. One is a partnership in Chelsea Piers. This is a large sports and entertainment complex. It covers 30 acres on the Hudson River in New York City. The company also built the Tysons II commercial area. They developed shopping centers like White Flint and Dulles Town Center. They also built thousands of homes, apartments, and many office buildings. Ted Lerner also helped build other shopping centers in the Washington area. These include Tysons Corner Center and Wheaton Plaza.

The main office of Lerner Enterprises in Rockville is very special. It was the first building in the D.C. area to get a top environmental award. This award is called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification. The building has won many awards for its design and being good for the environment.

Owning the Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals baseball team was once owned by Major League Baseball. Ted Lerner officially became the owner on July 24, 2006. His family owns most of the team, more than 90% of the shares. In 2018, Lerner stepped down as the main owner. His son, Mark D. Lerner, took over the role.

Under Ted Lerner's ownership, the Nationals had great success. They won four National League East division championships. They also made it to the postseason five times. In 2019, Lerner won a World Series ring. This happened when the Nationals beat the Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series.

Other Sports Teams

The Lerner family is also a partner in Monumental Sports & Entertainment. This company owns several other sports teams. These include the Washington Capitals (hockey), the Washington Mystics (women's basketball), and the Washington Wizards (men's basketball). They also own Capital One Arena, where these teams play.

Giving Back to the Community

The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation helps many organizations. They support groups like Food and Friends and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They also help Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and Hadley's Park. Other groups include the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Scleroderma Foundation. They also support YouthAids, Junior Achievement, and the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington also receives support.

Ted and his wife Annette helped start the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. In 1990, Ted Lerner received the Golden Plate Award of Excellence. This award came from the American Academy of Achievement.

The campus of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville is named after Ted and his wife. This was after they gave a large donation to the school. The Lerner Family also donated the lunch room at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy. They have also given money for the Lerner Family Health and Wellness Center. They also supported Theodore Lerner Hall at George Washington University. The Lerner Center at Hebrew University in Israel was also a gift from the family. They donated the theater at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Maryland.

Here are some of his notable achievements:

• 1990: Won the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award of Excellence.
• 2003: Chosen for the Washington Business Hall of Fame. This was by Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area.
• 2007: Chosen for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington Sports Hall of Fame.
• 2015: Chosen for the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal Life and Legacy

Ted Lerner married Annette M. Lerner on June 17, 1951. They had three children: Mark D. Lerner, Debra Lerner Cohen, and Marla Lerner Tanenbaum. Ted Lerner had nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

His daughter, Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, now leads the family's foundation. She also chairs the Washington Nationals Philanthropies. This includes the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. The Lerner family continues to own and manage Lerner Enterprises.

Ted Lerner passed away from pneumonia at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He was 97 years old when he died on February 12, 2023.