Carl Icahn Net Worth & Biography

In this biography post, we are going to share the life story and accomplishments of Carl Icahn, an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and activist shareholder who happens to be one of the world’s living billionaires. Carl is the founder, owner, and sitting chairman of the American multinational ‘Icahn Enterprises’ that invests in varied industries. He also serves as the chairman of the board of directors of the American developer, manufacturer, and distributor of auto parts Federal-Mogul, which runs two business divisions, Federal-Mogul Powertrain and Federal-Mogul Motorparts. Carl started his career as a stockbroker and eventually emerged as a Wall Street titan, mainly trading in stocks. He earned the status of being a “corporate raider” during the 1980s, following a series of takeovers. He garnered substantial equity shares in companies like Hammermill Paper, BFGoodrich, Marshall Field’s,  Phillips Petroleum, and Dan River. To also add to his abundant investments, Carl also completed the acquisition of famous American companies such as Texaco and the American air company Trans World Airlines (TWA). After the incorporation of Icahn Enterprises in 1987, Carl launched a hedge fund ‘Icahn Partners’ in 2004. He supported former US President Donald Trump, with whom he partnered for businesses, in the latter’s 2016 presidential race. He also served a spell in Trump’s government as the president’s special advisor on ‘Regulatory Reform.’ According to Forbes magazine, Mr. Carl Icahn, who still holds stakes in leading companies such as Dell and Apple is the fifth-richest hedge-fund manager and the 26th-richest person alive.

With his parent company, the Icahn Enterprises, this business mogul has invested in many major companies in the United States and the rest of the world. Apple, Revlon, Netflix, Casinos, Mylan, Time Warner, and many other companies have had Carl invest in them. Here’s a rundown of his career, sources of income, financial analysis, personal life, and more.

Early Life: Childhood, Education

He was born Carl Celian Icahn in New York City, New York, the United States on February 16, 1936, in the devoted Jewish family of Michael and Bella Icahn. His father, Michael, an atheist, was a cantor who later worked as a substitute teacher, while his mother, Bella, was a schoolteacher.

Carl studied at Far Rockaway High School and advanced to Princeton University afterward to complete his tertiary education. He graduated from Princeton in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy. After bagging his BA, Carl decided to honor his mother’s wish and moved to study medicine. However, he left his studies at the New York University School of Medicine after two years to join the United States Army.

Professional Life: Investor, Entrepreneur

Initially, Carl Icahn was confused about what career path to choose. He studied philosophy in college, started medical school, and quit to join the Army, which he abandoned a few years later to kick-start his Wall Street career.

Carl started out as an investor in the year 1961, and five years later he started his company Icahn & Co. With this new company, he was a principal investor and held vital positions in some top companies in the United States, including popular names like Time Warner, Western Union, Nabisco, Motorola, Viacom, and some others. Most of his assets went to the American Real Estate Partners, which, subsequently, was named the Icahn Enterprises.

Today, he is one of the richest men in the world thanks to his timely and fascinating investments in a long list of now successful companies and businesses in the United States and in other parts of the world,

Achievements: Awards & Honors

Chairman Carl, despite not quite often as appreciated like certain other renowned investors all across the globe, is, without doubt, one of the most brilliant people in the world of business. He is a really smart investor whose major accomplishment as a businessman is his early investment in multiple business ventures. He struck deals with top brands and also partnered with the Trump administration at the peak of his still thriving entrepreneurial career. To date, this man continues to be one of Wall Street’s wonders. He is listed on the Forbes magazine “400” list as well as the “Top 50” list.

Personal Life: Wife, Children, Private Interests

In the summer of 1978, Mr. Carl Icahn, then 41-years old, met a 28-year-old ballerina named Liba Trejbal, who hailed from the former Czechoslovakia. She became pregnant eight months into their relationship and the businessman offered to marry her if she agreed to sign a prenuptial agreement. They said their wedding vows in March 1979. In October 1993, Trejbal filed for divorce and sued to nullify the prenuptial agreement, appealing she signed it under coercion due to the pregnancy. The divorce was settled six years afterward. With his first wife, Carl has two children, Michelle Celia Icahn Nevin and Brett Icahn. He is an uncle to Rick Schnall.

In 1999, Carl married his longtime assistant Gail Golden, a former broker. She has no child for him, though she has two children from an earlier relationship.

Philanthropy

Because of his numerous contributions to philanthropy and charitable deeds, Carl has earned a reputation as one of America’s most beloved philanthropists. The Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in NYC is named after him. Likewise, the Icahn Scholar Program at Choate Rosemary Hall and the Carl C. Icahn Center for Science are named after him as well. Icahn made a substantial contribution to Princeton University to fund the establishment of a genomics laboratory which has also been named after him. He also made large donations to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, of which he is a trustee. He is the owner of the Children’s Rescue Fund foundation, which built Icahn House in The Bronx for homeless families.

In 2010, he joined Bill Gates “Giving Pledge list”, promising to give away the majority of his fortune during his lifetime or upon his death.

Carl Icahn Net Worth: Salary, Income Sources, Assets

Mr. Carl Icahn is the owner of 92% of Icahn Enterprises. This is a holding company that controls many other establishments like Tropicana Entertainment, the Federal-Mogul, American Railcar, and many others. He is the owner of XO Holdings, which he acquired in the year 2011.

As of this writing, Carl Icahn’s net worth is $24 billion. This American billionaire happens to be a businessman and investor who is well-known in the media and in the business sphere for his success with his Icahn Enterprises that is headquartered in New York City.