Herbert "Herb" Simon (born October 23, 1934) is an American

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

developer. He resides in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. He was educated at the City College of New York. He is the owner of the Indiana Pacers, and

chairman emeritus The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

of the shopping mall developer

Simon Property Group Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in India ...

. In 2010, he purchased Kirkus Reviews. ''Forbes'' estimated his net worth to be around US$3.2 billion in mid-2018.

Early life and education

Simon was born to a Jewish family in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...

and grew up in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, the son of Max and Mae Simon. His father was a tailor who had emigrated from Central Europe. His older brother is the late

Melvin Simon Melvin Simon (October 21, 1926 – September 16, 2009)
September 18, 2009 was an American businessman and ...

. His oldest brother is the late Fred Simon, who was the longtime leasing director at Simon Property Group. Herbert Simon graduated from The City College of New York with a B.B.A. in Business.

Personal life

Simon has been married three times. His first wife was Sheila Simon. Simon has two children from his first marriageDiane Meyer Simon website
retrieved March 17, 2013 including Stephen Howard Simon, founder of Simon Equity LLC who is married to artist Catherine Garvey Simon. In 1981, Simon married Diane Meyer, political staffer for Senator

Birch Bayh Birch Evans Bayh Jr. (; January 22, 1928 – March 14, 2019) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1963 to 1981. He was first elected to office in 1954, when he won election to the India ...

of Indiana. She was previously married to N. Stuart Grauel, the then Deputy

Secretary of State of Indiana The Secretary of State of Indiana is one of five constitutional officers originally designated in Indiana's State Constitution of 1816. Since 1851, it has been an elected position. The Secretary of State oversees four divisions, and is the third ...

. They divorced in 2000. They have three children: *Sarah Elisabeth Meyer Simon is an investor who lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

; *Rachel Mariam Meyer Simon Stuart is an artist and philanthropist living in Indianapolis with her husband Hale Stuart and daughter Zara; and *Asher Benjamin Meyer Simon is an artist in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. In 2002, Simon married Porntip Bui Nakhirunkanok (born February 7, 1969,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

, Thailand),

Miss Universe 1988 Miss Universe 1988, the 37th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 24 May 1988 sponsored by Formosa Airlines at the Lin Kou Stadium in Taipei, Taiwan. Cecilia Bolocco of Chile crowned Porntip Nakhirunkanok of Thailand at the end of the event. 66 cand ...

. They have two biological children and have also adopted the three children of Porntip Bui Simon's sister who is deceased.

Indiana Pacers

In 1983, Simon and his brother, Mel (1927–2009), purchased the NBA's Indiana Pacers from Sam Nassi and Frank Mariani. He is also the owner of the WNBA's Indiana Fever, and formerly owned the USL's now defunct

Reno 1868 FC Reno 1868 FC was an American professional soccer team based in Reno, Nevada. Founded in 2015, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in March 2017 and ceased operations after the 2020 season. History Previously, northern Nevada has ...

References

External links

Indianapolis Star background piece on the Simon Property Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Herbert (real estate) 1934 births Living people People from the Bronx People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn American billionaires American company founders 20th-century American Jews American real estate businesspeople City College of New York alumni Indiana Fever owners Indiana Pacers personnel Real estate and property developers Simon family (real estate) Simon Property Group people 21st-century American Jews