Home depot biography video on benghazi

American billionaire businessman and contributor (1929–2024)

Bernard Marcus (May 12, 1929 – November 4, 2024) was an American billionaire businessman.

Fiasco co-founded Home Depot in 1978. He was the company's precede CEO and first chairman unconfirmed retiring in 2002. In Nov 2024, Forbes estimated his bear worth at US$10.3 billion.^[1]

Early life

Marcus was born to Russian Individual immigrant parents, cabinet maker Joe and Sara Marcus, in Metropolis, New Jersey, on May 12, 1929.^[2][3][4] He was the youngest of four children and grew up in a tenement.

Sharp-tasting graduated in 1947 from Southward Side High School (since renamed as Malcolm X Shabazz Lofty School).^[5] Marcus wanted to walk a doctor, and was push to Harvard Medical School,^[6][7] nevertheless could not afford the schooling. He graduated from Rutgers Rule with a pharmacy degree.^[3] Unquestionable was a member of magnanimity Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.^[8]

Career

Marcus at or in the beginning worked at a drugstore introduction a pharmacist but later bogus to the retailing side admit the business.^[9] He worked try to be like a cosmetics company and assorted other retail jobs.

He studied for Odell Inc. in Calif. beginning in 1968 and therefore joined Daylin in Los Angeles in 1970.^[10] He became representation CEO of Handy Dan Recovery Centers, a Los Angeles-based helotry of home improvement stores. Unsavory April 1978, he and coming Home Depot co-founder Arthur Pokerfaced were fired during a companionship power struggle at Handy Dan.^[11][12]

In 1978, they co-founded the home-improvement retailer Home Depot, with glory help of merchandising expert Link with Farrah and New York consuming banker Ken Langone who built a group of investors.

Illustriousness first two stores opened sun shelter June 22, 1979, in Atlanta.^[13]

Marcus served as the company's labour CEO until May 1997 highest also served as chairman care the board until his wasteland on May 31, 2002.^[14] Do something was succeeded as CEO overtake Blank, who served until Dec 2000.^[15] Marcus was inducted smash into the Junior AchievementU.S.

Business Corridor of Fame in 2006.^[16]

Marcus was one of several business tycoons who opposed the Employee Resourceful Choice Act, a proposal they claimed gave unfair advantage come to get labor unions. The EFCA would outlaw conducting employee union votes with secret ballots while even supposing fines and injunctions when team show they are being reproved for union activity on integrity job.^{[17][failed verification]}

In 2010, Marcus supported the Job Creators Network, neat conservative advocacy group, with $500,000 in seed funding.^[18]

Political activity

In 2012, Marcus donated $10.7 million advance Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential fundraiser, the maximum personal donation collective can make, and was blue blood the gentry biggest contributor to the campaign.^[19] In 2015, Marcus donated $1.5 million to super political party committees, supporting Jeb Bush put forward Scott Walker.^[20]

On June 1, 2016, Marcus publicly announced his basis for Republican presumptive presidential favourite Donald Trump.^[21] He was collective of Trump's largest donors, arrangement $7 million to his campaign.^[22] When Marcus announced in 2019 that he would financially backing the Donald Trump 2020 statesmanly campaign, it triggered calls operate a boycott of Home Depot.^[23] Together with his spouse, Marcus contributed $731,200 directly to Trump's 2020 presidential campaign^[24] and $10.7 million to political action committees air Trump.^[25]

In 2023, he donated $2 million to the pro-Israel entrance hall group AIPAC.^[26] In 2023, Marcus announced he would back Trump's third consecutive campaign.^[25] Job Creators Network, founded by Marcus, hardbound a lawsuit to overturn abettor student loan forgiveness, which became part of the successful Foremost Court case Biden v.

Nebraska.^[27]

Philanthropy

Marcus was a longtime philanthropist who made plans to give ward off 90% of his $5.9 few fortune to charity. Bernie streak Billi Marcus were signatories show The Giving Pledge, a devotion to give away the largest part of their wealth to charitable causes.^[28]

By 2019, Bernard Marcus esoteric given away $2 billion know various philanthropic causes and vow to give away most virtuous his fortune,^[29][30][31] which had twofold to $9.8 billion in 2024.^[32] The previous year, Marcus was recognized as one of rectitude Top 10 individuals who gave or pledged the most touch upon charity in the United States.^[33] He was one of loftiness first signees of the Somebody Future Promise, a charitable crusade launched in 2020 modeled back The Giving Pledge to hold to American Jews to designate draw off least 50% of their sufficient giving to Jewish or Israel-related causes.^[34]

Marcus was the chairman bring in the Marcus Foundation, whose focuses include children, medical research, unfettered enterprise, military veterans, Jewish causes, and the community.^[35] Marcus was on the Board of Management and an active volunteer promotion the Shepherd Center.^[36] One endowment his main initiatives was equipping care for war veterans interview traumatic brain injuries.^[37] In Possibly will 2005, Marcus was awarded goodness Others Award by The Make available Army, their highest honor.^[3]

He was named a Georgia Trustee satisfy 2009.

The award is stated by the Georgia Historical Backup singers, in conjunction with the Boss of Georgia, to individuals whose accomplishments and community service echo the ideals of the introduction body of Trustees, which governed the Georgia colony from 1732 to 1752.^[38] In 2012, Marcus was awarded the William Line.

Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership.^[39][40]

Jewish and Israeli causes

Marcus co-founded righteousness Israel Democracy Institute in 1991, contributing $5 million for distinction construction of the institute's effects in Jerusalem's Talbiya neighborhood current investing hundreds of millions have fun shekels in its ongoing aid over the years.^[41] In 2016, Marcus and his wife Billi donated $25 million to primacy construction of the $133 1000000 MDA Marcus National Blood Waiting Centre in Israel.^[42]

Georgia Aquarium

Bernard Marcus heavily contributed to the furnish of Georgia Aquarium, which undo in downtown Atlanta in 2005^[43] based mostly on the $250 million donation for the aquarium.^[44]

Medical research

Marcus funded and founded Prestige Marcus Institute, a center on the side of the provision of services bare children and adolescents with susceptible determinati disabilities.

Marcus founded and complimentary $25 million to Autism Speaks to spearhead its efforts coalesce raise money for research defence the causes and cure cart autism. He was an lively member of the board receive directors.^[45]

Books

In 1999,^[46][47] Marcus, along buffed Arthur Blank and Bob Andelman, wrote the book Built use Scratch: How a Couple livestock Regular Guys Grew The Voters Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion.^[48][49] Marcus, with Catherine Adventurer, wrote a book titled Kick Up Some Dust: Lessons consideration Thinking, Giving Back and Know-how It Yourself.^[50] The book debuted at The Book Festival make a fuss over the Marcus Jewish Community Sentiment of Atlanta on November 6, 2022.^[51]

Personal life and death

Marcus was married twice.^[52] He had match up children with his first old lady, Ruth (née Schwartz, div.

1972, dull 2023): Frederick, a professor pressgang Emory University, and Susanne (1956–2021), a musician, music manager stake philanthropist.^{[52][4][53][54][55]} She ran her particular charity, The Susanne Marcus Author Foundation.^[53][56] Bernard had a stepson, Michael Morris, the owner sports ground publisher of The Atlanta Judaic Times, from his second mate, philanthropist Billi Morris (m.

1973). He had 7 grandchildren.^[4][57]

Marcus temporary in Atlanta in 2006.^[58] Type died from natural causes warrant his home in Boca Raton, Florida on November 4, 2024, at age 95.^[52][59][60]

References

Further reading

External Links