Fred and Donald Trump kept their German ancestry a secret
It’s no news that Donald Trump inherited a huge empire from his father, Fred Trump, and went on to expand it to golf resorts, hotels, and even casinos all around the U.S.
Frederick Trump, the father of Fred Trump arrived in the U.S. in 1885 from Kallstadt, Germany to join the Alaska gold rush.
He acquired a restaurant in the Yukon Territory called the White Horse Restaurant and Inn. Frederick Trump went on to marry his neighbor Elizabeth Christ in 1902 and moved to America shortly after.
Fred Trump was born in 1905 and was interested in construction front a young age.
Fred Trump said in a 1973 interview with The New York Times, “When I was a lad I discovered that I was agile with my hands, that I could take pieces of wood and nail them together, and that it was a lot of fun.”
Sadly Fred Trump lost his father when he was 11 and had to do odd jobs to help the family.
“When I was 16, I built a garage for a neighbor, probably not the greatest garage ever put up, but the experience reinforced my hope of doing something creative with wood and bricks and cement,” He said.
In 1923, Fred Trump graduated from Richmond Hill High School and went on to take classes in building construction at the Young Men’s Christian Association and a year later he built his first one-family home.
“In those days I could build and sell a house for about $7,500,” Fred Trump recalled.
He wasn’t of age at this point so his mother always took the money.
With the help of his mother, they were able to form their call, E. Trump & Son.
At some points, while building his empire, Fred Trump had to lie about his heritage. He had a lot of Jewish tenants, partners, and associates and didn’t want to spoil his business. He rather told them he was from Sweden and didn’t teach German to his children also.
Donald Trump told the same lie as well and only acknowledged their family heritage later on.
In the 1930s, Fred Trump tied the knot with Mary Anne MacLeod and they had five children together, the fourth being Donald Trump.
Fred Trump made sure his family was involved in business and they had a tough upbringing.
Fred was always there to guide his son but not until the 1990s when he contracted Alzheimer’s Disease. He passes away on June 25, 1999.
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