Sheldon Adelson

Sheldon Gary Adelson (August 4, 1933 – January 11, 2021) was an American businessman, casino developer, and conservative political donor who founded the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and pioneered large-scale integrated resorts worldwide.

Born to Ukrainian Jewish immigrant parents in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, Adelson rose from poverty through early entrepreneurial efforts, including founding the COMDEX computer trade show in 1979, which he sold in 1995 to fund his entry into the casino industry. In 1988, he acquired the historic Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for $128 million, later demolishing it to construct The Venetian Resort in 1999, an innovative mega-resort blending hotel, casino, and convention facilities that redefined Las Vegas hospitality.

Sheldon Adelson was born Sheldon Gary Adelson (Hebrew: Sholom Gedaliah) on August 4, 1933, in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, a working-class area during the Great Depression. He was the son of Arthur Adelson, a Lithuanian Jewish immigrant who worked as a taxi driver, and Sarah Adelson (née Tonkin), whose family had roots in Wales and was also part of the Jewish community. The family maintained a Jewish heritage, with Adelson later reflecting on his upbringing in a low-income household where resources were scarce; he described it as "so poor we couldn't afford rags."

Adelson grew up in modest circumstances in a one-bedroom home shared with his parents and siblings, including at least one sister, amid the economic hardships of immigrant life in urban Boston. His father's Lithuanian background and the family's Jewish traditions shaped early influences, though specific details on religious observance in childhood remain limited in accounts. The household's poverty instilled a drive for self-reliance, with Adelson later attributing his entrepreneurial mindset to these formative years in a rough neighborhood marked by limited opportunities.

In 1991, Adelson married Miriam Farbstein Ochshorn, an Israeli-born physician who specialized in addiction treatment and research; they met on a blind date arranged the previous year. Miriam, born in Haifa and trained at Tel Aviv University and Rockefeller University, had two daughters from her prior marriage. Adelson and Miriam had two sons together and maintained a close partnership in family, business, and philanthropy until his death. Their relationship emphasized shared commitments to Jewish causes, medical research, and conservative politics, with Miriam often described as his key advisor and collaborator.