Howard William Lutnick was born on July 14,1961 and is an American billionaire businessman who has served as the 41st United States secretary of commerce since February 2025.
42 Facts About Howard Lutnick
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In 1983, Lutnick was hired at Cantor Fitzgerald under the mentorship of the firm's founder, B Gerald Cantor.
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In 1990, Lutnick became president and chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald.
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Howard Lutnick was appointed chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald after Cantor's death in 1996.
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Howard Lutnick invested significantly in technology, establishing an electronic trading platform known as eSpeed.
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Howard Lutnick was a fundraiser for Donald Trump's 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns, as well as a vocal proponent of Trump's proposal to implement broad tariffs.
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Howard William Lutnick was born on July 14,1961, on Long Island, New York.
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Howard Lutnick was the second son of Solomon and Jane Lutnick.
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Howard Lutnick was raised in Jericho, New York, and attended Jericho High School.
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Howard Lutnick attended Haverford College as a Division III tennis recruit.
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Howard Lutnick graduated in 1983 with a degree in economics.
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Howard Lutnick brought additional clients, increasing its profitability to become one of Cantor Fitzgerald's most lucrative divisions.
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In 1991, after a failed attempt by Cantor Fitzgerald's president to oust him, Howard Lutnick became the firm's chief executive and president.
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Howard Lutnick moved to implement a succession plan at Cantor Fitzgerald, allowing him to become a managing general partner at the firm.
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The New York Times noted that Howard Lutnick had already lost the necessary support of the Cantors.
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Howard Lutnick was scheduled to go into the office that day, but he had taken his son to kindergarten.
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The American Red Cross offered as much as to the families of the victims after Howard Lutnick appealed to the organization's president and chief executive, Bernadine Healy.
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Howard Lutnick attended funerals for each employee killed for a month.
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Howard Lutnick requested million for the initiative from the United States Congress and formed a working relationship with Florida representative Bill Young, the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, but the final legislation signed by president George W Bush did not explicitly mention Cantor Fitzgerald and was less than what Lutnick had requested at million.
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The deal later fell through, and Howard Lutnick began considering 10 Hanover Square before moving into 110 East 59th Street, fulfilling his vow to never return to Lower Manhattan.
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Howard Lutnick was appointed the chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald's fixed-income trading and sales business, succeeding Irvin Goldman, in October 2007.
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In February 2025, after being confirmed by the Senate as the United States secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick named his sons, Brandon and Kyle, as chairman and executive vice chairman, respectively.
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Howard Lutnick established the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, which began donating to families of victims with one or more children in October 2001.
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In 2008, Howard Lutnick appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice, hosted by Donald Trump in a charity auction.
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Howard Lutnick gave debit cards of an equal amount to victims of the 2013 Moore tornado.
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Howard Lutnick, a lifelong Democrat, is a registered Republican; in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he described himself as a fiscal conservative and social liberal who left the Democratic Party after he felt that the party had shifted further to the political left.
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In May 2019, The New York Times disclosed that Howard Lutnick had hosted a fundraiser for US president and presidential candidate Donald Trump that raised more than million.
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Howard Lutnick co-hosted a fundraiser for Donald Trump in London in June 2024 that was organized by Duke Buchan.
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That month, Howard Lutnick was appointed co-chair of Trump's transition team overseeing personnel.
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Howard Lutnick told the New York Post that month that The Heritage Foundation, which led Project 2025, was "radioactive".
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In January 2006, Howard Lutnick was named to the board of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation.
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Howard Lutnick declared shares in GE Aerospace, GE Healthcare, The Walt Disney Company, Nasdaq, Inc.
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The New York Times reported that Trump had expressed reservations about Howard Lutnick, portraying him as a constant presence and a manipulator, leading to further delays as he broadened his list of candidates.
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Howard Lutnick was endorsed to the position by Elon Musk, a Trump advisor; Musk considered Bessent as a "business-as-usual choice".
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Howard Lutnick appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on January 29,2025, where he promoted the second Trump tariffs and vowed greater action on China and its advances in artificial intelligence, particularly the release of DeepSeek R1.
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Howard Lutnick has supported Trump's trade policy, including the second Trump tariffs.
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Later that month, Howard Lutnick said the tariffs would be "worth it" even if they lead to a recession.
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In 1998, Howard Lutnick purchased a Manhattan property at 11 East 71st Street, behind the Henry Clay Frick House, from the Comet Trust.
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Howard Lutnick had extensively renovated its interior renovations by May 2001.
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Howard Lutnick lived in Bridgehampton, New York, on a 40-acre property he purchased in 2003 for million.
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In October 2021, Howard Lutnick disclosed that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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Howard Lutnick is a recipient of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.