Mitchell Wolfson
Mitchell Wolfson | |
|---|---|
| Mitchell Wolfson smiling, posing with and holding a portrait of himself standing behind a Miami-Dade County Community College building. Wolfson in 1980 | |
| 12th Mayor of Miami Beach | |
| In office 1943–1944 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1900 Key West, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | January 28, 1983 (aged 82–83) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse | Frances Meyer |
| Children | Mitchell Wolfson Jr. Louis Wolfson II |
| Education | B.A. Columbia University |
| Occupation | Theatre owner Politician |
| Known for | Founder of Wometco Enterprises and WTVJ |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944-1945[1] |
| Rank | Lt Colonel |
| Battles/wars | WWII |
| Awards | File:Bronze Star Medal ribbon.svg File:Croix de guerre 1939-1945 with palm (France) - ribbon bar.png |
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Mitchell Wolfson Sr. (1900 – January 28, 1983) was an American businessman, theatre owner, politician, and founder of Wometco Enterprises.
Biography
[edit | edit source]Wolfson was born in 1900 in Key West, Florida.[2][3] He went to school in Key West and at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York, and then graduated from Columbia University.[2] After school, he went to work for the East Coast Wholesale Corp in Miami, founded by his father in 1884.[2]
In 1925, he partnered with his brother-in-law, Sidney Meyer, forming the Wolfson-Meyer Theater Company and began construction on a state of the art theater in downtown Miami.[4][2] The Capital Theatre was completed in 1926 at the cost of $300,000 and featured an early form of air conditioning.[2] They built the company into a business conglomerate using the portmanteau, Wometco Enterprises.[3] In 1949, Wometco founded the first television station in Miami, WTVJ.[2] Wometco went on to own and operate the largest chain of movie theaters in South Florida, six television stations, a cable television company, a soft drink bottling franchise, and tourist attractions including the Miami Seaquarium.[3] At the time of his death, Wometco had over $500 million in sales.[3]
Wolfson served two terms as city councilman in Miami Beach, Florida, before being elected its first Jewish mayor in 1943.[3][5] He resigned after one term to fight Nazi Germany in World War II.[6]
As a founder and for his later philanthropy towards Miami-Dade College, the downtown campus was named the Wolfson Campus in his honor.[7][8]
Personal life
[edit | edit source]He was married to Frances Meyer (December 16, 1906 – May 9, 1980); they had two sons, Mitchell Wolfson Jr. and Louis Wolfson II. Wolfson died on January 28, 1983, at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.[3]
See Also
[edit | edit source]References
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