Thomas J. Flatley (August 30, 1931 - May 17, 2008) was an Irish–American billionaire and philanthropist engaged in

real estate development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

Early life

Flatley was born on August 30, 1931 in

Kiltimagh Kiltimagh () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town had a population of 1,069 people. Although there in no river going through the town, three rivers flow around the town: the Glore River, Yellow River and Pollagh ...

County Mayo,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and grew up on a 25-acre farm. In 1950, he immigrated to

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 ...

with only $32. He worked at a Bronx delicatessen, served in the army for 2 years and then moved to Boston, enrolling at

Wentworth Institute of Technology Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) is a private institute of technology in Boston, Massachusetts. Wentworth was founded in 1904 and offers career-focused education through 21 bachelor's degree programs as well as 13 master's degrees. Histo ...

on the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

. He dropped out, and in 1956, he started a plumbing and air conditioning business. In 1958, he developed his first apartment complex. In 1972, he formed Democrats for Nixon along with

John Connally John Bowden Connally Jr. (February 27, 1917June 15, 1993) was an American politician. He served as the 39th governor of Texas and as the 61st United States secretary of the Treasury. He began his career as a Democrat and later became a Republic ...

. Between 1984 and when he shut it down in 1989, Flatley owned WNHT, a television station in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

; he also owned

WSYT WSYT (channel 68) is a television station in Syracuse, New York, United States, affiliated with the Fox network and owned by Imagicomm Communications. The station's studios are located on James Street/ NY 290 in Syracuse's Near Northeast sect ...

in Syracuse, New York. By 1996, he owned and operated 12 malls and shopping centers, 56 office buildings, 15 hotels, 7 nursing homes and 14 apartment complexes with 6,000 units. His developments included the Sheraton Tara Hotel in

Braintree, Massachusetts Braintree (), officially the Town of Braintree, is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a towBraintree is a city, with a mayor-council government, mayor-council form of government, and ...

, built based on the design of Irish castles, and the Quincy Marriott. In 1997, he sold 2 hotels on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

for $29 million. In 1998, Flatley funded construction of the Boston Irish Famine Memorial. In 1999, he sold 3 nursing homes for $33 million. In 2002, he sold 11 properties to

Aimco Aimco or Apartment Investment and Management Company is a publicly traded real estate investment trust. As of December 31, 2020, the company owned 27 apartment communities comprising 6,342 apartment units in 12 states and the District of Columb ...

for $500 million. In March 2007, Flatley was ranked 754th by

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

on the list of the world's billionaires. In May 2007, Flately sold his 10 shopping centers for $500 million. In 2008, Flatley died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Personal life

Flatley lived in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...

. He attended mass every morning at St. Agatha’s Church, lived in a modest home, and usually flew coach. He established a foundation with $200 million. Flatley gave millions to Catholic Charities USA, Boston College, Africa relief, and Irish causes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flatley, Thomas 1931 births 2008 deaths American billionaires American real estate businesspeople Irish emigrants to the United States Businesspeople from County Mayo Wentworth Institute of Technology alumni 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century American philanthropists Neurological disease deaths in Massachusetts Deaths from motor neuron disease People from Kiltimagh