In brief
Bernard Marcus (May 12, 1929 – November 4, 2024) was an American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, and conservative political donor renowned for co-founding The Home Depot, Inc., in 1978 and serving as its inaugural chief executive officer and chairman until 2002. Born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents in a Newark, New Jersey tenement, Marcus overcame poverty through self-determination, initially aspiring to medicine before entering retail after earning a pharmacy degree. After being dismissed from Handy Dan Improvement Centers, he partnered with Arthur Blank to launch Home Depot as a warehouse-style retailer offering low prices and knowledgeable staff, pioneering the big-box home improvement model that grew into the world's largest chain with over 2,300 stores and annual revenues exceeding $150 billion. Retiring with a net worth estimated at $10.3 billion, Marcus channeled his fortune into philanthropy via The Marcus Foundation, donating more than $2.7 billion over three decades to causes including medical research, children's welfare, Jewish community initiatives, and the Georgia Aquarium, which he helped establish as a major Atlanta landmark. A vocal advocate for free-market principles and critic of regulatory overreach, he emerged as a prolific Republican supporter, contributing tens of millions to candidates and super PACs, including substantial backing for Donald Trump's campaigns, while emphasizing entrepreneurship and national defense in his public commentary.
Bernard Marcus was born in 1929 in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents whose limited resources shaped a childhood marked by economic hardship. His father worked as a cabinetmaker, providing for the family amid the challenges of immigrant life in a working-class urban environment.
A funeral service was held on November 7, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia, arranged through Dressler's Jewish Funeral Care, reflecting Marcus's Jewish heritage and long-term ties to the city where Home Depot was headquartered. Tributes focused on his business legacy, charitable contributions exceeding $2 billion—primarily to medical research, veterans' causes, and Jewish institutions—and his outspoken conservative political advocacy, though immediate post-death coverage avoided deep dives into controversies.
Photographs
Hero photograph: Wikimedia Commons
