Mitchell Wolfson
Mitchell Wolfson smiling, posing with and holding a portrait of himself standing behind a Miami-Dade County Community College building.
Wolfson in 1980
Born1900
Key West, Florida
DiedJanuary 28, 1983 (aged 82–83)
Miami, Florida
NationalityAmerican
EducationB.A. Columbia University
Occupation(s)Theatre owner
Politician
Known forFounder of Wometco Enterprises and WTVJ
SpouseFrances Meyer
ChildrenMitchell Wolfson Jr.
Louis Wolfson II

Mitchell Wolfson Sr. (1900 – January 28, 1983) was an American businessman, theatre owner, politician, and founder of Wometco Enterprises.

Biography

Wolfson was born in 1900 in Key West, Florida.[1][2] He went to school in Key West and at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York, and then graduated from Columbia University.[1] After school, he went to work for the East Coast Wholesale Corp in Miami, founded by his father in 1884.[1]

In 1925, he partnered with his brother-in-law, Sidney Meyer, forming the Wolfson-Meyer Theater Company and began construction on a state of the art theater in downtown Miami.[3][1] The Capital Theatre was completed in 1926 at the cost of $300,000 and featured an early form of air conditioning.[1] They built the company into a business conglomerate using the portmanteau, Wometco Enterprises.[2] In 1949, Wometco founded the first television station in Miami, WTVJ.[1] Wometco went on to own and operate the largest chain of movie theaters in South Florida, six television stations, a cable television company, a soft drink bottling franchise, and tourist attractions including the Miami Seaquarium.[2] At the time of his death, Wometco had over $500 million in sales.[2]

Wolfson served two terms as city councilman in Miami Beach, Florida, before being elected its first Jewish mayor in 1943.[2][4] He resigned after one term to fight Nazi Germany in World War II.[5]

Personal life

He was married to Frances Meyer (December 16, 1906 – May 9, 1980); they had two sons, Mitchell Wolfson Jr. and Louis Wolfson II. Wolfson died on January 28, 1983, at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Capitol Theatre, Wometco and WTVJ". The Magic City - Miami History. 3 October 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mitchell Wolfson, who built a downtown Miami movie theater". United Press International. January 29, 1983.
  3. ↑ Parks, Arva Moore. Miami: The Magic City. Tulsa, OK: Continental Heritage Press, 1981. p.211 ISBN 0-932986-17-X
  4. ↑ Baca, Mandy (November 3, 2015). "Shtetl by the Sea". The New Tropic. Abe Aronovitz serves as the only Jewish mayor of Miami, while Mitchell Wolfson served as the first Jewish mayor of Miami Beach
  5. ↑ "A Call to Serve: Florida Jews and the U.S. Military". WLRN. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
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