W. R. Berkley


William Robert Berkley is the founder and current chairman of W. R. Berkley Corporation and the chairman of the New York University Board of Trustees.
His net worth is $2.5 billion and he is ranked 333rd on the Forbes 400.

Early life and education

Berkley grew up in North Jersey, the middle child of three boys. When he was 11 years old, his father was killed in an airplane crash. He started investing in the stock market at age 12 with money he made from lawn mowing.
Berkley graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business with an undergraduate degree in 1966. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1968. While at Harvard, he ran a $2 million mutual fund out of an apartment on the Harvard campus with a classmate, Paul Dean.

Career

In 1967, he founded W. R. Berkley Corporation. In November 1973, when the company became a public company via an initial public offering, he owned 23.8% of the company. In 2015, he left the CEO position to become Executive Chairman.
Berkley has served as chairman of board at New York University, his alma mater, since 2014.

Personal life

Berkley is married to Marjorie, who was his secretary when he founded his company. They have three children.