Mortimer Zuckerman

Early Life and Education in Montreal

Mortimer Zuckerman was born on June 4, 1937, in Montreal, Quebec, to Esther and Abraham Zuckerman, who owned a tobacco and candy store. He was raised in the city's Outremont neighbourhood within a Jewish family. His grandfather was an Orthodox rabbi. Zuckerman attended Adath Israel School and Strathcona Academy before entering McGill University at the age of 16. He graduated from McGill with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957 and a Bachelor of Civil Law in 1961, though he never pursued legal practice by taking the bar exam. He then moved to the United States for graduate studies, earning an M.B.A. with distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1961 and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School in 1962. His academic foundation in both Canadian and American institutions provided the intellectual framework for his future careers in law, business, and academia.

Business and Media Empire

Zuckerman began his career in academia, serving as an associate professor at Harvard Business School for nine years and also teaching at Yale University. He transitioned to the real estate sector, spending seven years at Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, where he rose to senior vice president and chief financial officer. His major business breakthrough came with the 1970 co-founding of Boston Properties, a real estate investment trust he built into a national powerhouse, serving as its CEO and later executive chairman. Parallel to his real estate success, Zuckerman assembled a significant media portfolio, beginning with the purchase of the literary magazine The Atlantic in 1980, where he served as chairman until selling it to David G. Bradley for US$12 million in 1999. In 1984, while still owning The Atlantic, he acquired U.S. News & World Report, where he remains owner, publisher, and editor-in-chief, directly shaping its editorial direction. He bought the New York Daily News in 1993, running the metropolitan daily until its sale to Tronc in 2017, and also owned Fast Company magazine, which he sold for $365 million in 2000 at the height of the technology boom. Reflecting on the sales of The Atlantic and Fast Company, Zuckerman quipped that he 'averaged out' on the magazine deals, balancing a modest sale with a highly profitable one.

Political Commentary and Affiliations

Zuckerman has been a frequent commentator on American politics and world affairs, writing columns for his own publications and appearing on television programs like MSNBC's The McLaughlin Group. His political affiliations have varied over the decades, though he has long been associated with the Democratic Party, and he voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. He later became a vocal critic of the Obama administration on several fronts, arguing after the 2011 U.S. debt downgrade that the country needed a 'triple-A president to run a triple-A country.' He criticized the composition of Obama's economic stimulus package for directing roughly half of its funds to state and local municipalities, which he saw as benefiting the municipal unions at the core of the Democratic Party. On the Affordable Care Act, Zuckerman stated that eighty percent of the country wanted cost control, not extended coverage, and felt the administration had misused its political capital. In 2010, he claimed in an interview to have helped write one of President Obama's political speeches, a statement later disputed by Obama speechwriters Jon Favreau and Ben Rhodes, leading Zuckerman to clarify his remarks, stating his help came through private conversations where he offered advice. That same year, he was speculated as a potential Republican or independent candidate for the U.S. Senate from New York but declined to run on March 2, 2010, citing family and work obligations.

Philanthropy and Major Donations

Mortimer Zuckerman has directed hundreds of millions of dollars through his charitable trust to academic and medical institutions, with his philanthropic focus areas including education, cancer research, and neuroscience. In May 2004, he pledged $10 million to Harvard University to establish the Zuckerman Fellowship, which funds a full scholarship covering tuition, fees, health insurance, and an annual stipend for students pursuing professional degrees in law, business, or medicine who also wish to study at Harvard's Graduate School of Education, School of Public Health, or Kennedy School. A landmark gift of $100 million was pledged to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in May 2006 for a new cancer research facility, representing the largest single commitment by an individual in the center's history at that time. His most substantial philanthropic act came in December 2012, with a $200 million pledge to Columbia University to endow the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, dedicated to interdisciplinary research. Zuckerman serves on the boards of several institutions that benefit from his philanthropy and guidance, reflecting his hands-on approach to charitable work.

• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (Board of Trustees)
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Former President of the Board of Trustees)
• New York University (Board of Trustees)
• The Aspen Institute (Board of Trustees)
• The Hole in the Wall Gang Fund (Board of Trustees)
• The Center for Communications (Board)

Mortimer Zuckerman serves on the boards of trustees of several major institutions, including New York University, the Aspen Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. These positions allow him to influence the strategic direction of major research and cultural organizations. He was one of the investors defrauded in the Bernard Madoff investment scandal, losing tens of millions of dollars through investments with J. Ezra Merkin. Following this loss, Zuckerman stated that all his current charitable obligations would still be honoured with no changes, affirming his commitment to his pledged gifts.

Involvement in Jewish and Pro-Israel Advocacy

Zuckerman has been deeply involved in American Jewish organizational life and is a staunch supporter of Israel, chairing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations from 2001 to 2003 after an election that faced opposition from liberal Jewish factions. In their controversial 2006 paper on the Israel lobby, academics John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt named Zuckerman a member of the media wing advocating for Israeli interests in the United States, a claim Zuckerman dismissed with a joke about a 92-year-old man proudly pleading guilty to a paternity suit. His pro-Israel advocacy was formally recognized when President George W. Bush appointed him to the Honorary Delegation to attend the 60th-anniversary celebrations of the State of Israel in Jerusalem in May 2008. He is also a member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank focused on Middle East affairs, and has served on the boards of the Aspen Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations, forums where international policy, including Middle East strategy, is routinely debated. His role in these organizations highlights his position at the intersection of media influence, business, and foreign policy advocacy concerning Israel and broader global issues.

Personal Life, Relationships, and Legal Affairs

Mortimer Zuckerman became a naturalized United States citizen in 1977, maintaining his Canadian citizenship. He was married to Marla Prather, a curator at the National Gallery of Art, from 1996 to 2001. They have one daughter, Abigail, and Prather later married lawyer Jonathan D. Schiller after their divorce. Zuckerman has a second daughter, Renee Esther, born in December 2008 when he was 71 years old, though the mother has not been publicly identified. Before his marriage, Zuckerman's dating history included writers Betty Rollin, Nora Ephron, and Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington, as well as a four-year relationship with feminist activist Gloria Steinem in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since 2008, he has publicly identified as a vegan, a lifestyle choice highlighted in a 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek article on 'power vegans,' and he last appeared on The McLaughlin Group in July 2015 arguing for Texas governor Rick Perry's presidential run. Zuckerman was among the investors defrauded in the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme, losing over $40 million from his charitable trust and personal investments that were placed with Madoff by fund manager J. Ezra Merkin without his knowledge. In April 2009, Zuckerman filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against Merkin and his Gabriel Capital LP, as well as the accounting firm BDO Seidman, claiming fraud and negligent representation and seeking punitive damages for the losses. He remarked that no one since Julius and Ethel Rosenberg had 'so damaged the image and self respect of American Jews' as Madoff. Separately, it was reported that Zuckerman was a client of financier Jeffrey Epstein between 2013 and 2015, paying him millions for estate planning services years after Epstein's conviction for sex crimes, and he contributed to a birthday book of letters for Epstein's 50th birthday.

Honours, Appointments, and Business Associations

Zuckerman has received recognition from academic, cultural, and professional organizations for his contributions across multiple fields. He has been awarded three honorary degrees, including one from Colby College, and in 1994, the government of France named him a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has also received a lifetime achievement award from Guild Hall and a gold medal from the American Institute of Architecture in New York. Beyond his board roles at philanthropic institutions, Zuckerman holds memberships in several influential policy and business organizations, serving on JPMorgan's National Advisory Board and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the Center for Communications. He is also known as a mentor and close business associate of former Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, having been a financial backer to Snyder's CampusUSA magazine venture and a shareholder and director in Snyder Communications Inc., a marketing services business taken over by Havas Advertising in 2000. These diverse appointments illustrate the breadth of his network, connecting real estate, media, finance, foreign policy, and professional sports ownership circles.

Media Properties and Their Fates

Mortimer Zuckerman's career as a media proprietor spans nearly four decades and involves several strategic acquisitions and sales. He purchased the literary magazine The Atlantic in 1980 and served as its chairman until selling it in 1999 for 12 million US dollars. In 1984, while he still owned The Atlantic, he bought U.S. News & World Report, where he remains the owner, publisher, and editor-in-chief. He also purchased the New York Daily News in 1993 and owned Fast Company magazine, which he sold for 365 million US dollars in 2000 at the height of the technology boom.

The Madoff Investment Scandal Lawsuit

Mortimer Zuckerman's involvement as a victim in the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme led to significant financial losses and a high-profile lawsuit. Zuckerman had investments with J. Ezra Merkin, the president of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, who placed roughly 10 percent, or $30 million, of Zuckerman's charitable trust fund with Bernie Madoff without his knowledge. The total losses claimed exceeded US$40 million, comprising a US$25 million investment through his Charitable Remainder Trust in Merkin's Ascot Fund in 2006 and a personal US$15 million investment with Merkin's Gabriel Capital fund. On April 6, 2009, Zuckerman filed suit against Merkin and his Gabriel Capital LP in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, case number 601052/2009, also naming the accounting firm BDO Seidman LLP and a related entity as defendants. The lawsuit alleged fraud and negligent representation, claiming Merkin had a 'huge incentive not to disclose Madoff's role' because he charged clients substantial fees to manage the funds and had imposed significant lock-up restrictions on redemptions. Zuckerman sought unspecified punitive damages, and his personal investment agreement with Gabriel Capital contained an arbitration clause for the lost $15 million. Despite the losses, Zuckerman publicly stated that all current charitable obligations from his trust would still be honoured with no changes, ensuring his pledged donations to institutions like Harvard and Memorial Sloan Kettering remained intact.

Questions about Mortimer Zuckerman

Is Mortimer Zuckerman Canadian?

Yes, Mortimer Zuckerman was born in Montreal, Quebec, on June 4, 1937, and is a Canadian citizen by birth. He was raised in the Outremont neighbourhood and attended Adath Israel School, Strathcona Academy, and McGill University. He also became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1977, making him a dual Canadian-American citizen. His early life and education in Montreal were foundational to his later career in law, business, and media.

How did Mortimer Zuckerman make his money?

Mortimer Zuckerman built his fortune primarily through two avenues: real estate and media. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Boston Properties, one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the United States, which he helped start after working at Cabot, Cabot & Forbes. Concurrently, he acquired and sold several major publications, including The Atlantic, U.S. News & World Report, the New York Daily News, and Fast Company, with the latter sale netting $365 million in 2000. His net worth was estimated at US$2.6 billion as of August 2024.

What publications does Mortimer Zuckerman own?

Mortimer Zuckerman is the owner and publisher of U.S. News & World Report, and also serves as its editor in chief. He has a history of owning major publications, having purchased The Atlantic in 1980, which he chaired until selling it in 1999. He bought the New York Daily News in 1993 and ran it until its sale in 2017. He also formerly owned Fast Company magazine, which he sold in 2000 during the tech boom. His current media holdings are centred on U.S. News & World Report.

What is Mortimer Zuckerman's connection to Israel?

Mortimer Zuckerman has significant connections to Jewish organizations and Israel. He served as the chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations from 2001 to 2003, despite facing opposition from liberal Jewish factions. In May 2008, President George W. Bush appointed him to an honorary delegation for the 60th anniversary celebration of the State of Israel in Jerusalem. Academics John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt also identified him as a member of the media wing of what they called the "Israeli lobby" in the United States.

What are some of Mortimer Zuckerman's major philanthropic gifts?

Mortimer Zuckerman has made several major philanthropic commitments. In December 2012, he pledged 200 million US dollars to endow the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University. Earlier, in May 2006, he pledged 100 million US dollars from his charitable trust to Memorial Sloan Kettering's new cancer research facility, marking the largest individual commitment in the centre's history. In May 2004, he pledged 10 million US dollars to Harvard University to fund the Zuckerman Fellowship for students pursuing interdisciplinary degrees.

Was Mortimer Zuckerman involved with Jeffrey Epstein?

Yes, Mortimer Zuckerman had financial dealings with Jeffrey Epstein. He was identified as one of Epstein's clients, paying him millions of dollars for estate planning and financial services between 2013 and 2015. This business relationship occurred years after Epstein's conviction for child sex crimes. Zuckerman also contributed to a birthday book of letters for Epstein’s 50th birthday. These facts document his professional involvement with the convicted financier.

Sources and further reading

• Mortimer Zuckerman (Wikipedia)
• Mortimer Zuckerman (carnegie.org)
• Mortimer B. Zuckerman | Scientific council (weizmann.ac.il)
• Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Benefactor & ... (zuckermanstem.org)
• Life and Career of Mortimer Zuckerman | Video (c-span.org)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-22.