Samuel Rudin was a New York real estate developer and founder of the Rudin Management Company and patriarch of the Rudin family.
Background
Rudin was the son of Belarusian Jewish immigrant Louis Rudinsky, who operated a dry goods store on the Lower East Side. His father made his first real estate purchase in 1905 when he bought a four-story brownstone on 153 East 54th Street.
Career
They continued to add buildings to their portfolio, and in 1925, they founded the Rudin Management Company to handle the management and leasing side of the business. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Rudin family was one of the most prolific builders of skyscrapers in Manhattan. In 1990, fifteen years after his death, the Rudin Management portfolio was valued at $1.5 billion.
They had two children, Jack and Lewis, who took over the family business.
Rudin died in 1975. His will established the Samuel and May Rudin Foundation, which focuses on education, social and religious welfare agencies, hospitals, museums, and the performing arts, primarily in Manhattan, where most of the Rudin portfolio was located. Rudin was an avid long-distance runner, and his family continues to be a major sponsor of the New York City marathon.