Samuel J. LeFrak (February 12, 1918 – April 16, 2003) was an American real estate tycoon. He was a noted landlord who chaired a private building firm, the LeFrak Organization, which was ranked 45th on the '' Forbes'' list of top 500 private companies. The development firm is best known for major development projects in Battery Park City; LeFrak City in Queens; and Newport, Jersey City. Although the LeFrak organization claims it was founded in 1883 in France, by Samuel J. LeFrak's grandfather, Maurice, passenger arrival index (ref. 4) indicates his grandfather was Aron Lefrak from Slutsk. Extended family in the 1940s to 1960s knew that Harry Lefrak and family were from Slutsk, and the family never used the spelling "LeFrak". (Personal communication from Lilly Feingold Mogil, niece of Harry Lefrak's wife Sarah Schwartz.)

Biography

LeFrak was born in Manhattan, New York, to Harry (Harris) Lefrak and the former Sarah Schwartz, who had originated in Slutsk, near Minsk, in Belarus (then Russia). He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and attended

Erasmus Hall High School Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899–925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was founded in 1786 as Erasmus Hall Aca ...

in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1940, with the University's LeFrak Hall named for him. While at Maryland, he was a brother in the

Tau Epsilon Phi Tau Epsilon Phi (), commonly known as TEP or Tep, is an American fraternity with 14 active chapters, 3 active colonies, and 10 official alumni associations chiefly located at universities and colleges on the East Coast. The national headquarters ...

fraternity. In the early 1970s he was sued by the federal government for housing discrimination; the case was resolved in a January 1971 agreement. In 1975, he co-founded a small recording and publishing company, The Entertainment Company, with his then son-in-law Martin Bandier and

Charles Koppelman Charles Koppelman (March 30, 1940 – November 25, 2022) was an American musician, music producer, and businessman. He held executive positions at EMI and Steve Madden, and he was Chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. At the time of his d ...

."Turning Music Into Dollars at Sony/ATV,"
''New York Times'', August 23, 2009. The company recorded " Groovin'" by the Rascals, "

Here You Come Again ''Here You Come Again'' is the nineteenth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on October 3, 1977, by RCA Victor. It was Parton's first album to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping a mil ...

" by Dolly Parton, "

My Heart Belongs to Me "My Heart Belongs to Me" is a popular song from 1977 (see 1977 in music). It was originally performed by the songwriter, Alan Gordon, but the more famous version of the song was recorded by American singer and actress Barbra Streisand. Released ...

" by Barbra Streisand, Streisand and

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

's duet, " No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", " By The Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell, " Why Do Fools Fall in Love" by

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

, " Love Will Keep Us Together" by the Captain & Tennille, and the soundtrack album to the television series ''Fame''. In 1984, the relationship was dissolved after Bandier divorced LeFrak's daughter. In 1988, LeFrak was honored by the United Nations, along with former President Jimmy Carter, for global contributions through Habitat International. After his death, his son, Richard LeFrak, became CEO of the LeFrak Organization.

Personal life

In 1941, LeFrak married Ethel Stone. They had four children:New York Times: "Paid Notice: Deaths LEFRAK, SAMUEL J."
April 18, 2003 *Denise LeFrak Calicchio, philanthropist formerly married to music industry executive Martin Bandier and the inspiration for the 1963

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

hit "

Denise Denise may refer to: * Denise (given name), people with the given name ''Denise'' * Denise (computer chip), a video graphics chip from the Amiga computer * "Denise" (song), a 1963 song by Randy & the Rainbows * Denise, Mato Grosso, a municipalit ...

". * Richard LeFrak * Francine LeFrak Friedberg *Jacqueline LeFrak Kosinski LeFrak died at the age of 85 on April 16, 2003. Funeral services were held at Congregation Emanu-El in New York City.

References

External links

The LeFrak Organization
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lefrak, Samuel J. 1918 births 2003 deaths American real estate businesspeople Businesspeople from New York City Erasmus Hall High School alumni Jewish American philanthropists Tau Epsilon Phi LeFrak family People from Brooklyn University of Maryland, College Park alumni Philanthropists from New York (state) American landlords