Ted Lerner
Theodore Nathan Lerner | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 October 1925 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | 12 February 2023 (aged 97) Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Real estate entrepreneur, sports team owner |
| Years active | 1952–2023 |
| Known for | Principal managing owner of the Washington Nationals, founder of Lerner Enterprises |
Theodore Nathan Lerner (October 15, 1925 – February 12, 2023) was a prominent American real estate entrepreneur and the principal managing owner of the Washington Nationals baseball team. He established Lerner Enterprises, recognized as the largest private landholder within the Washington metropolitan area, with holdings encompassing commercial, retail, residential, and hospitality assets, including New York City's Chelsea Piers. By 2022, his estimated net worth reached $6.4 billion, placing him among Maryland's wealthiest individuals.
Early life and education
Born into an Orthodox Jewish household in Northwest Washington D.C., Lerner was the eldest of three siblings. His father Mayer emigrated from British Mandatory Palestine, while his mother Ethel originated from Lithuania. He completed his secondary education at Roosevelt High School in 1944.
During his adolescence, Lerner earned money by selling newspapers to attend baseball games and worked as an usher at the 1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He served as a typist in the U.S. Army during World War II stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Utilizing benefits from the G.I. Bill, he obtained an Associate of Arts degree in 1948 and later graduated with an L.L.B. from George Washington University Law School in 1950. While studying law, he began selling houses on weekends, which ignited his passion for real estate.
Career
At 26 years old in 1952, Lerner launched Lerner Enterprises with a $250 loan from his wife, focusing on real estate development from its base in Rockville, Maryland. In collaboration with Isadore Gudelsky during the late 1950s, he developed Wheaton Plaza. By 1968, he transformed former farmland into Tysons Corner Center.
Throughout his professional journey, Lerner was responsible for constructing approximately 22,000 homes and 6,000 apartments along with numerous office and commercial developments such as Chelsea Piers, Tysons II, and Dulles Town Center.
Washington Nationals
The baseball franchise now known as the Washington Nationals began as the Montreal Expos and was under Major League Baseball’s ownership starting February 15, 2002. In 2006, then-commissioner Bud Selig chose Ted Lerner and his family to purchase the team for $450 million; ownership officially shifted on July 24 of that year.
The Lerner family retains a controlling interest exceeding 90% in the Nationals. Ted stepped down as managing principal owner in 2018, handing over leadership to his son, Mark Lerner. Under their stewardship, the team clinched four National League East division championships and qualified for the playoffs five times. The franchise celebrated its inaugural World Series victory in 2019 by defeating the Houston Astros, earning Lerner a championship ring.
Additionally, Ted Lerner was a stakeholder in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns several Washington sports teams including the Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Mystics (WNBA), Washington Wizards (NBA), along with the Capital One Arena venue.
Philanthropy and accolades
The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation supports various institutions such as Food & Friends; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Shady Grove Adventist Hospital; Hadley's Park; the Weizmann Institute of Science; the Greater Washington chapter of the Scleroderma Foundation; YouthAids; Junior Achievement of Greater Washington; the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School; and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington. Ted and Annette Lerner were among the founding contributors to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Their name is honored at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School campus in Rockville following a substantial financial contribution. The family also sponsored facilities including the cafeteria at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, George Washington University's Lerner Family Health and Wellness Center and Theodore Lerner Hall, as well as the Lerner Center at Hebrew University in Israel and a theater at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Maryland.
Distinguished awards received by Ted Lerner include:
- Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement (1990)
- Induction into Junior Achievement’s Washington Business Hall of Fame (2003)
- Entry into the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington Sports Hall of Fame (2007)
- Inclusion in the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame (2015)
- Induction into Nationals Park’s Ring of Honor (2023)
Personal life and death
Lerner maintained a low public profile, seldom accepting awards or making appearances, favoring a life away from the spotlight.
He wed Annette M. Lerner on June 17, 1951, and together they had three children: Mark D. Lerner, Debra Lerner Cohen, and Marla Lerner Tanenbaum. His family expanded to include nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
His political contributions supported figures such as Al Gore, Steny Hoyer, and Dianne Feinstein.
Lerner passed away due to pneumonia at his residence in Chevy Chase, Maryland, on February 12, 2023, at the age of 97.