| Neil G. Bluhm | |
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Alma Mater: | University of Illinois (B.A.) Northwestern University (J.D.) |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Known For: | Commercial real estate, casinos |
| Spouse: | Kimberly Paige Bluhm (m. 2022), Barbara Bluhm-Kaul (divorced) |
| Children: | 3 |
Neil Gary Bluhm (born 1938) is an American billionaire real estate and casino magnate. He is a partner of Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, which owns several casinos.[1] [2] He had an estimated net worth of US$7 billion in October 2021.
Bluhm was born to a Jewish family in 1938 in Chicago.[3] His father left the family when he was 13, and his mother worked as a bookkeeper.[4] He grew up in a cramped apartment near his immigrant grandparents. He attended a high school on Chicago's northwest side.[5]
He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1959, studying accounting, and in 1962, he received a juris doctor degree from Northwestern University.[4] In 2009, he received Northwestern's Alumni Medal, the highest honor an alumnus can receive from the university.[6]
He started his career as a lawyer and eventually a partner in the Chicago law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt. In 1969, he co-founded JMB Realty[4] with Judd Malkin, his high school friend and college roommate.[7] [5]
In 1994, he co-founded Walton Street Capital, a private equity firm. Soon thereafter, with Greg Carlin, he co-founded Rush Street Gaming.[7]
Bluhm and his children own real estate in Chicago and elsewhere, including Chicago's 900 North Michigan and Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton Hotels. The family is a minority owner of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox.[8] [9]
According to Forbes, he had a net worth of US$7.0 billion in October 2021.[10]
He is divorced from art collector and philanthropist Barbara Bluhm-Kaul. They have 3 children: Andy Bluhm, who runs hedge fund Delaware Street Capital;[4] Leslie Bluhm, who co-founded Chicago Cares,[4] and currently serves as a Director on the Board of AmeriCorps under the Biden administration, and Meredith Bluhm-Wolf, who helps direct the family's business and charitable foundation.[4] He is currently married to Kimberly Paige Bluhm.[11]
He lives in Chicago.[10] In December 2018, he purchased an apartment near Miami for $20 million.[12]
An art patron, he sits on the board of trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Whitney Museum of American Art.[10] He has an art collection worth $300 million.[10] He sits on the board of trustees of Northwestern University.[13]
Bluhm is a Democrat. He hosted President Barack Obama's 49th birthday party, where admission cost a $30,000 donation to the Democratic National Committee.[10] [4] He has contributed to the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin, Melissa Bean, Rahm Emanuel, Lisa Madigan, Rod Blagojevich, Lou Lang, and Michael Madigan.[4] In 2017, Bluhm was criticized after calling in a request to Rahm Emanuel after making a $300,000 contribution.[14]
In 2005, he funded the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute with a $10 million gift.[15]
In 2013, he made a $25 million gift to Northwestern University, including $15 million earmarked for the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.[16]
In 2015, he made a $1 million donation to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[17]
In 2022, he made a $45 million donation to Northwestern Medicine to establish the Bluhm Heart Hospital.[18]