Ronald Lauder | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lauder in 2014 | |
| President of theWorld Jewish Congress | |
| Assumed office June 10, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Edgar Bronfman, Sr. |
| United States Ambassador to Austria | |
| In office April 16, 1986 – October 27, 1987 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Helene A. von Damm |
| Succeeded by | Henry Anatole Grunwald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronald Steven Lauder (1944-02-26)February 26, 1944 (age 81) New York City, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jo Carole Knopf |
| Children | Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer Jane Lauder Warsh |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Leonard Lauder (brother) William P. Lauder (nephew) |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BS) University of Paris University of Brussels |
| Occupation | Chairman Emeritus ofEstée Lauder Companies |
Ronald Steven Lauder (born February 26, 1944) is an American businessman. He is the sole heir toThe Estée Lauder Companies, founded by his parentsEstée Lauder and Joseph Lauder in 1946,[1][2] following the death of his brotherLeonard Lauder in 2025.
According toForbes, Lauder had a net worth of $4.7 billion as of May 2025 (number 796 on Forbes' list of billionaires).[3] Lauder is a longtime Republican Party donor and supporter of Donald Trump.[4] He ran in the Republican primary formayor of New York City in1989.
A long-time friend of President Donald Trump, Lauder has been credited with planting the idea of annexing Greenland in Trump's mind.[5][6]
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Lauder was born in New York City to aJewish family, the son ofEstée Lauder and Joseph Lauder, founders ofEstée Lauder Companies. He is the younger brother ofLeonard Lauder, former chairman of the board of the Estée Lauder Companies.
He attended theBronx High School of Science and holds a bachelor's degree in International Business from theWharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied at theUniversity of Paris and received a Certificate in International Business from theUniversity of Brussels.
Lauder started to work for the Estée Lauder Company in 1964 as head of the international department. In 1984, he became a deputy assistant secretary of defense for European andNATO policy at theUnited States Department of Defense in the Ronald Reagan administration.
In 1986,Ronald Reagan named him as theUnited States ambassador to Austria, a position he held until 1987. As ambassador, he fired diplomatic officerFelix Bloch, who later became known in connection with theRobert Hanssen espionage case.[7]
As aRepublican, he made a bid to become themayor of New York City in1989, losing toRudy Giuliani in the Republican primary (Giuliani lost toDavid Dinkins in the general election but defeated Dinkins in 1993).[8] His campaign managers wereRoger Ailes ofFox News andArthur Finkelstein, a strong supporter ofRichard Nixon.[8]Michael Massing, writing of this nomination race, notes that politically Lauder 'seemed out of step with most American Jews; ... he ran to the right of Rudolph Giuliani. And, on Israeli issues, he was a vocal supporter of theLikud party, with long-standing ties toBenjamin Netanyahu."[9] Lauder spent $14 million of his funds on the race.[10] In 1994, he successfully led a campaign to place term limits on the mayor.[10] In the Republican primary, Giuliani had 77,150 (67.0%) vote to 37,960 (33.0%) for Lauder.
In 1998, Lauder was asked byIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to beginTrack II negotiations withSyrian leaderHafez al-Assad; these negotiations continued after the election ofEhud Barak to the post. Lauder communicated a new-found willingness on Assad's part to make compromises with the Israelis in an overallland for peace deal, and his draft "Treaty of Peace Between Israel and Syria" formed an important part of the (ultimately fruitless) Israeli-Syrian negotiations that occurred in January 2000 inShepherdstown,West Virginia.[11]
Lauder manages investments in real estate and media, includingCentral European Media Enterprises and Israeli TV. In 2010, Lauder founded RWL Water, LLC.
Lauder suggested toDonald Trump that the United StatespurchaseGreenland, which was discussed in theWhite HouseSituation Room as a trade involvingPuerto Rico according toElizabeth Neumann.[12][13][14][15] Since Ronald Lauder acquired commercial holdings in Greenland, an article inthe Guardian concluded in 2026 that Lauder's suggestions to the President may intersect with his own business interests.[16]
Lauder has been involved with organizations, such as theConference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, theJewish National Fund, theWorld Jewish Congress, theAmerican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, theAnti-Defamation League, theJewish Theological Seminary,Rabbinical College of America,Brandeis University, and theAbraham Fund. With his brother, he founded the Lauder Institute at the Wharton School. Lauder has also served as the finance chairman of theNew York Republican State Committee.[citation needed] In 2003, Lauder founded and became the president ofLauder Business School inVienna, Austria.[citation needed]
Lauder led a movement to introduceterm limits in theNew York City Council, which were subsequently imposed on most NYC elected officials, including the Mayor and City Council, after a citywide referendum in 1993. In 1996, voters turned down a council proposal to extend term limits. Lauder spent $4 million on the two referendums.[citation needed]
On November 16, 2001, Lauder opened theNeue Galerie in New York, an art museum dedicated to art from Germany and Austria from the early 20th century. It holds one of the best collections of works byEgon Schiele in the world.
On June 18, 2006, he purchased fromMaria Altmann and her family, the paintingPortrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I byGustav Klimt for $135 million, thehighest price ever paid for a painting at that time. Lauder called the painting "OurMona Lisa". He reportedly saw Klimt's portrait as a youth in Vienna and had admired it since.[17][18] The painting, aNazi-looted art piece which had just been restored to Altmann following years of negotiation and litigation with theAustrian government, now forms the centerpiece of the museum's collection. Lauder was portrayed byBen Miles in the film about the painting,Woman in Gold (2015).
Lauder also has the world's largest private collection ofmedieval andRenaissance armor.[19]
Lauder has been criticized for failure to resolve a case involving theMuseum of Modern Art (MoMA), which in 1997 exhibited some paintings owned byRudolph Leopold, a Viennese doctor and art collector. An investigative article inThe New York Times on December 24, 1997 – "A Singular Passion for Amassing Art, One Way or Another" – outlined a case involvingPortrait of Wally byEgon Schiele, which was in the MoMA exhibition but was obtained by Leopold soon after the Nazi era. TheNew York County District Attorney (Manhattan) stepped in to help restore the piece to descendants of its original owner, but ownership of the painting is still in contention, nearly ten years later. Lauder has been accused of a failure to act on the case, despite being MoMA chairman at the time.[20]
Lauder is an honorary trustee of theWorld Monuments Fund, a New York-based non-profit with the mission of protecting endangered cultural heritage sites around the world.
In 1987, Lauder established the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, a philanthropic organization that is dedicated to rebuilding Jewish life in Central and Eastern Europe.[21] The foundation also supports student exchange programs between New York and various capitals in Central and Eastern Europe.
In 1998, Lauder co-founded theAlzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation with his brother,Leonard A. Lauder.[22] Its mission it to "rapidly accelerate the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease.[23]" Ronald continues as the Foundation's co-chairman.
In 2019, Lauder purchased a majority of the collection ofThe International Museum of World War II. An agreement to keep the museum open while a new home was found was terminated by Lauder.[24]
In 2020, Lauder gave 91 pieces of arms and armor to theMetropolitan Museum of Art. The 91-object gift is the museum's most significant of arms and armor since 1942. To honor the gift, the museum's entire group of Arms and Armor galleries is now named for Lauder.[25][26][27]
Lauder was elected president of theWorld Jewish Congress on June 10, 2007,[28] following the resignation ofEdgar Bronfman, Sr. He beat the South African businessmanMendel Kaplan andEinat Wilf of Israel by a clear margin.
PresidentGeorge W. Bush appointed him to serve on the honorary delegation to accompany him toJerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of theState of Israel in May 2008.[29]
Lauder condemned thepersecution of Rohingya Muslims inMyanmar.[30]
Lauder said in July 2025 that he believed theWorld Jewish Congress lawsuit against Swiss banks, which resulted in a $1.29 billion settlement in 1998, should be reopened because of allegations Credit Suisse, now owned byUBS, concealed documents that would have magnified the number of accounts held in Switzerland for Nazi interests and Holocaust victims. Lauder said he believed the original settlement should have been up to $10 billion higher.[31]
In July 2009,Bernie Ecclestone faced calls from Lauder to resign asFormula One chief after he had praisedAdolf Hitler in a newspaper interview and said that Hitler "got things done". Lauder said someone with Ecclestone's views should not be allowed to run such an important and popular racing series. He urged Formula One teams, drivers, and host countries to suspend their cooperation with him. In reaction, Ecclestone told the news agency Associated Press that "I think the people who are saying that haven't got the power to say these things." Asked if theWorld Jewish Congress was influential, Ecclestone said: "It's a pity they didn't sort the banks out" and "They have a lot of influence everywhere". After a public outcry, Ecclestone apologized for his remarks and said he had "been an idiot".[32][33][34]
In December 2009, Lauder protested against the Roman Curia's decree recognizing the heroic virtues ofPope Pius XII, asserting that an eventualbeatification would be inopportune until the Holy See's historical archives from the 1939–1945 period were opened.[35]
In 2011, writing in the German newspaperDie Welt,[36] Lauder called for Israel to be admitted into the Western defense allianceNATO: "Israel needs real guarantees for its security. European NATO member states – including Turkey – must admit the state of Israel into the Western alliance," the WJC president wrote. He referred to the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and said they were reminders of how "unpredictable" developments in the Middle East were. Israeli NATO membership "would send a strong signal to other countries not to take on Israel", Lauder argued.[37]
Lauder has also been outspoken on anti-Semitism. In an opinion article entitled "Sweden's Shame", he attacked the Swedish government, church officials, and media for "fanning the flames" of hatred against Jews.[38]
In May 2012, Lauder condemned as "despicable" remarks made by the Norwegian sociologistJohan Galtung who had "revived anti-Semitic canards such as Jewish control of the media" and suggested that Israel's Mossad could have been behind the 2011 "massacres in Norway committed by Anders Breivik" in which 77 people died. Lauder declared: "There is a growing tendency to blame the Jews for all evil that happens under the sun. It is a scandal that a leading academic such as Galtung does not shy away from citing notorious forgeries such as theProtocols of the Elders of Zion to support his bigoted arguments."[39]
In August 2012, Lauder criticized Austrian politicians for failing to publicly denounce the leader of the third-largest political party in the country, theFPÖ,Heinz-Christian Strache, who had posted an anti-Semitic cartoon on hisFacebook page. "Clearly, and not for the first time, the FPÖ leader is trying to whip up anti-Semitic sentiment. His repeated denials are not credible because his words and actions speak for themselves," Ronald Lauder said in a statement, adding: "This scandal shows that anti-Jewish resentment is still widespread, and unscrupulous politicians are allowed to exploit it for electioneering purposes. That is mind-boggling, and it could have negative repercussions for Austrian Jews."[40] TheIsraelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien (Vienna Israelite Community) banned Lauder for allegedly interfering in its board elections.[41] IKG PresidentOskar Deutsch alleged that Lauder had offered incentives to members of the IKG to support another candidate. A Lauder spokesman denied the allegations.[42] In January 2013, it was reported that Deutsch and Lauder had resolved their dispute.[43]
Lauder has been strongly critical of business deals by European energy firms with Iran and called for stronger UN sanctions because of Tehran's threat against Israel and its nuclear program. In April 2008, he criticized a visit by Swiss Foreign MinisterMicheline Calmy-Rey to Tehran where she met with Iran's PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad to help a Swiss company secure a multibillion-dollar contract to buy natural gas from Iran. Lauder told a press conference in Bern: "Maybe that money that Switzerland is paying to Iran will some day be used to either buy weapons to kill Israelis, or buy weapons to kill Americans, or buy missiles to be able to deliver nuclear weapons."[44] Lauder also led diplomatic efforts to persuade European businesses to withdraw from Iran. In January 2010, he warmly welcomed the announcement bySiemens CEOPeter Löscher that his company would not seek new business in Iran.[45]
In February 2018, thePolish Prime MinisterMateusz Morawiecki stated that "there were Jewish perpetrators" of theHolocaust, "not only German perpetrators."[46] Lauder condemned Morawiecki's comment as anti-Semitic, saying: "The Polish prime minister [Morawiecki] has displayed appalling ignorance with his unconscionable claim that so-called 'Jewish perpetrators' were partly responsible for the Nazi German attempt to wipe out European Jewry ... this government is going to extreme and unfathomable lengths to exonerate some of their countrymen's own complicity in the murders of their neighbors. This is nothing short of an attempt to falsify history, which is one of the very worst forms of anti-Semitism and Holocaust obfuscation. We demand an immediate retraction and apology from the Polish government for these absurd and offensive remarks."[47]
In 2019, Lauder launched the Antisemitism Accountability Project (ASAP) to fund campaigns fighting federal, state, and local candidates who support or promote antisemitism.[48]
The Washington Examiner reported in October 2023 that Lauder announced he was no longer providing financial resources to the University of Pennsylvania over antisemitism concerns following the terrorist group Hamas attacking Israel.[49]
Lauder had donated $1.1 million in 2016 toSecure America Now (SAN). In the same year, SAN broadcast anti-Muslim social media videos inswing states just before the U.S. elections.[50] Lauder disavowed the videos; a spokesman said that he had donated to the group "support their work in opposition to theIran nuclear deal" (which had concluded in 2015) and "had nothing to do with any of the group's other activities"; the spokesman said that Lauder supported "interfaith respect and dialogue" and "would never be involved with insulting people of faith."[51] The videos at issue may have been targeted at increasing turnout among supporters ofDonald Trump.[51]
Lauder is a longtime Republican Party donor.[4] Since 2016, Lauder has donated more than $1.6 million to pro-Donald Trump organizations.[52] He contributed $200,000 toDonald Trump's2020 presidential campaign.[53] He attended the2025 Trump inauguration.[54]
Lauder pitched the idea to Trump to buyGreenland from Denmark in 2019. In the proposal, he offered to be the intermediary for the transaction, which Denmark rejected. His involvement was first reported in a 2022 bookThe Divider byPeter Baker and his wifeSusan Glasser.[55]
In 2020, Lauder donated $1.7 million to a newindependent expenditure group that opposed criminal justice reform in New York.[56]
In 2023, Lauder donated $8,000 to theNikki Haley 2024 presidential campaign.[54]
His brother supportedKathy Hochul's successful campaign for New York governor in 2022, but Ronald himself gave $11 million to the Republican challengerLee Zeldin.[57]
In 2025, Lauder donated $5 million to theMAGA Inc.super PAC.[58]
Lauder has repeatedly come to the defense of Israel in public and is seen as an ally of Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu. In May 2012, he reacted "with dismay" to a suggestion by Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign MinisterEamon Gilmore to impose a European Union-wide import ban on products made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Gilmore said were "illegal" and made peace between Israel and the Palestinians "impossible". Lauder said, "Such boycott calls are cynical and hypocritical. Minister Gilmore is taking aim at the only liberal democracy in the Middle East while keeping quiet about those who really wreak havoc in the region: the Assads, Ahmadinejads and their allies Hezbollah and Hamas." He added that "the West Bank territories are legally disputed and not illegally occupied."[59]
In remarks to theInternational Council of Jewish Parliamentarians made on June 28, 2011, Lauder reportedly scolded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a number of missteps, including lacking a diplomatic plan heading into the September UN vote on Palestinian statehood and setting preconditions for negotiations as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, according toHaaretz.[60] However, in June 2012, on the third anniversary of Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu's speech at Bar-Ilan University, Lauder published a full-page advertisement inThe Wall Street Journal and other newspapers in which he called on Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table. "Accept the offer to talk, President Abbas. It takes two sides to make peace," Lauder wrote.[61]
Lauder has participated in a number of large media deals in Israel, among which was his purchase of part of commercial televisionChannel 10.
In September 2011, Israeli media published accounts that Lauder had put heavy pressure on the executives of the channel to broadcast a personal apology to the businessmanSheldon Adelson with regard to a profile that the channel had broadcast in January 2011. The apology read, "After the broadcast of the piece, we checked the accusations. Our checks revealed that the accusations were – and are – completely false ... We are very regretful that we did not check these accusations before broadcasting them." Lauder's forcing of the form of the apology led to the resignation of the channel's news chief Reudor Benziman, its news editor, Ruti Yuval, and its presenter, Guy Zohar (who continues in another post in Channel 10), who criticized Lauder for the pressure he exerted.[62][63] Because of the attacks, detailed above, on Lauder (who had been until then the last major funder of the channel), he decided to reconsider his financial support. If the channel lost its funding, it would have difficulty continuing to operate to its current standard past October 2011.[64]
On November 3, 2011,The Second Authority for Television and Radio decided on the issue in which it decided that the apology to Adelson broadcast by the channel was appropriate and that "no evidence has been presented that there was any intervention by the shareholders of Channel 10 on new content, or even on the text of the apology, which was agreed between the news company and the person injured by the broadcast."[65]
Lauder is married to Jo Carole (Knopf) Lauder.[66][67][68] They have two children,Aerin andJane.
Lauder's daughter Jane is married toKevin Warsh, a former member of theFederal Reserve Board of Governors[69]
In 1985, he published a book titledFighting Violent Crime in America.[70]
A 2007 profile of Lauder inThe New Yorker magazine detailed his residences, including three properties in Manhattan – a townhouse on East70th Street, theRockefeller Guest House on East52nd Street, as well as an apartment at740 Park Avenue. The profile additionally listed homes in Florida, London, Paris, andWainscott,Long Island.[71] He sold the Rockefeller Guest House in December 2023.[72]
The group of galleries will be named for the collector, whose 91-object gift is the museum's most important donation of its kind since 1942.
The group of galleries will be named for the collector, whose 91-object gift is the museum's most significant since 1942.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Conservative Nominee for Mayor of New York City 1989 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Ambassador to Austria 1986–1987 | Succeeded by |
 Austrian Empire(1838–1867) |  | |
|---|---|---|
 Austro-Hungarian Empire(1867–1917) | ||
 Republic of Austria(1921–1938, 1946–present) | ||
| Lauder family |
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|---|---|
| People |
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| Beauty and Fragrance Brands | |
| Beauty and Fragrance Licenses | |
| Haircare Brands | |
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