Leone J. Peters - Real Estate

Real Estate

Peters, a prominent Manhattan real estate broker and consultant, was the archetype of the modern commercial real estate broker. He joined the property management company Cushman & Wakefield in 1929 as a bookkeeper. With the exception of World War II military service, where he enlisted as a buck private and achieved the rank of captain, he spent his entire business career at the firm, remaining an active broker until his death. He rose to the position of president and chief executive officer of Cushman & Wakefield in 1960, became chairman of the Board of Directors and its Chief Executive Officer in 1970, and honorary chairman in 1976, closing many of the industry's most notable transactions along the way. He oversaw an expansion of the business into a nationwide force and was credited with transforming Cushman & Wakefield from a family-owned building management concern into a leading real estate services organization. As agent or consultant, Peters represented almost every major investment builder, as well as many large institutional owners in the industrial, banking and insurance fields around the U.S. and abroad. He was also instrumental in the development of several of America's most prominent office towers, including the Bank of America Building in San Francisco, Arco Towers in Los Angeles, and 4 New York Plaza, among many others.