Donald J. Trump is a real estate mogul and reality TV star that is known in the real estate world for his large building projects, his ability to gain the attention of the public, and for his use of beautiful architecture in his projects. He was born in Queens, New York on June 14, 1946. He was the son of Mary MacLeod Trump, his mother, and Frederick C. Trump, his father, who was a builder and real estate developer too. Frederick’s work focused on building and managing middle income apartments in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. At 13 years old, Donald Trump was sent to the New York Military Academy, where he became a successful student, athlete, and leader, and where he graduated from in 1964. He went to Fordham University, and later transferred to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from there with a degree in economics in 1968. Trump worked with his father’s company, the Trump Organization, during the summers as a student, and he later joined the company full time after graduation. In 1971 he moved to Manhattan, where he met many influential people and became increasingly aware of the high-profit, large building projects that were available in the city. He was able to obtain an option on the Pennsylvania Central Railroad’s rail yards after the company hit bankruptcy, and he received a bid by the city government in 1978 for the site to be the new location of a city convention center. Later, in 1974, he would also obtain an option on the Commodore, a hotel previously owned by Penn Central, which he saw the value in due to its location near the Grand Central Station. He later signed a partnership agreement with the prominent Hyatt Hotel Corporation for the property. In 1977, Trump married New York fashion model and 1968 Czech Olympic Ski Team alternate, Ivana Zelnickova Winklmayr. She became the vice president in charge of design for the Trump Organization in 1978, and she played a key role in overseeing the renovation of the former Commodore hotel. When in 1980 the hotel reopened as the Grand Hyatt, it was such a success that Donald Trump became one of the best known developers in the city. In 1979 Trump found the location for what is now known as Trump Tower, a $200 million apartment and retail complex that was designed by the famous Der Scutt. The location was on Fifth Avenue, near the location of Tiffany & Company, and the 58-story building was officially opened in 1982. The building’s luxurious appeal, including an 80-foot waterfall and a six-story atrium lined with pink marble, made it a magnet for retail stores and wealthy celebrities who wanted to rent the apartments. In November of 1976, New Jersey voters decided to make gambling legal in their state. Soon after, in 1980, Trump was able to acquire property in Atlantic City on which he planned to open a combination hotel-casino. His younger brother led the project and was able to earn a gambling license, acquire the land, and get all the financing and permits in order. They worked out a partnership with the parent company of Harrah’s casino hotels, Holiday Inns Corporation, and the Harrah’s at Trump Plaza opened in 1982 at a price of over $250 million. It would later be renamed Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, as Trump would go on to buy out Holiday Inns Corporation in 1986. He purchased several other casinos in Atlantic City too. After a Hilton Hotels casino and hotel failed to get a gambling license, he bought it and renamed it Trump’s Castle. In 1990 he also acquired the Taj Mahal hotel-casino, the largest hotel-casino in the world, while it was still under construction. In 1988 he bought the Plaza Hotel for $407 million, and his wife spent over $50 million renovating it. He built condominiums in West Palm Beach, Florida, and in 1989 he purchased what is now known as the Trump Shuttle for $365 million. When the real estate market collapsed in 1990 Trump’s net-worth declined by nearly two-thirds. The man once worth about $1.7 billion suddenly had a net-worth of only half a billion dollars. He later made a comeback and in 1997 was estimated to be worth nearly $2 billion. Trump divorced his wife and the mother of his three children, Ivana, but later married actress Marla Maples. Prior to their marriage in 1993 they had a daughter, but only four years later he filed for a divorce, which was finalized in 1999. She received $2 million dollars in the separation due to a prenuptial agreement. In January 2005 he married his third wife, model Melania Knauss, who bore him another child. In addition to his success as an investor, Trump even considered seeking the Reform Party’s nomination for the presidential race in 2000, forming a committee to decide whether or not he should. Starting in 2004, Donald Trump became the star of the successful reality show The Apprentice on NBC.