Thomas J. Barrack, Jr. Biography

Thomas J. Barrack, Jr. is an American private equity real estate investor and the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Colony Capital, headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

Biography

His grandparents immigrated to the United States from Lebanon. He graduated with a BA in 1969 from the University of Southern California where he was a star on their national championship Rugby Team. Attended USC and USD law schools receiving a JD in 1972 and he was the editor of the Law Review.

His first job was at the law firm of Herbert W. Kalmbach, President Richard Nixon's personal lawyer. He then worked in Saudi Arabia for the Fluor Corporation. He then learned Arabic and worked for Saudi princes. Shortly after, he helped open diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Haiti, then ruled by Jean-Claude Duvalier, at the request of investor Lonnie Dunn.

He served as Deputy Undersecretary of the United States Department of the Interior under James G. Watt in the Reagan administration.

He was later a principal with the Robert M. Bass Group. In 1990, he founded Colony Capital, and received initial investment from Bass and GE Capital, and later from Eli Broad, Merrill Lynch, and Koo Chen-fu. He has invested some $200 million in Middle East real estate, $534 million in non-performing German real estate loans, and a $24 million loan to photographer Annie Leibovitz. He also owns the Neverland Ranch. Through Colony Capital, he runs a $25 billion portfolio of assets, from the Fairmont Raffles Hotels International hotel chain in Asia, the Aga Khan's former resort in Sardinia, Resorts International Holdings, One&Only Resorts, Atlantis, etc.

He is currently a Trustee at the University of Southern California. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Accor, Kerner, First Republic Bank, Continental Airlines, Korea First Bank, and Megaworld Properties & Holdings. Additionally, French president Nicolas Sarkozy awarded him France's Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (French award created 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. The order is generally although not exclusively awarded for military service. While it is the highest decoration bestowed by the nation, a rather large count of individuals have received it.)

As of September 2011, he is the 833rd richest person in the world, and the 375th richest in the United States, with an estimated wealth of US$ 1.1. billion. He flys a Gulfstream V and lives on a 1,200-acre mountain ranch near Santa Barbara, California. In the summer, he lives in a castle in the South of France. He has five children. His hobbies include surfing and polo. He is a member of the Catholic Church.