Lewis Wolff
American businessman
Lewis N. Wolff (born December 13, 1935) is an American real estate developer. Wolff had been co-chairman of the Board of Sunstone Investors, Inc. from October 2004 to April 2014. Wolff owned sports franchises. He was most well known for his ownership of the Oakland Athletics and as the co-owner of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. However, in November 2016, Wolff sold his share in the Oakland Athletics to John J. Fisher, and currently serves as the team's Chairman Emeritus. Wolff is credited with the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown San Jose, California where he was the largest developer of offices, hotels, and parking for many years.
Early life and education
Lewis "Lew" Wolff was born on December 13, 1935 to a Jewish family in St. Louis and was raised in the middle-class suburbs of University City, Missouri. Wolff graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, and a fraternity brother of former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and US Senator Herb Kohl.
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