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Daniel Keith Ludwig Research Paper

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Daniel Keith Ludwig (1897-1992) was a secretive businessman and philanthropist who became one of America's first billionaires through the development of his oil tanker corporation. An avid worker and noted entrepreneur, he developed both shipping and oil industries, which led him to own one of the world's largest fleets, as well as become invested in a diverse range of global interests. Yet despite his business successes, Ludwig remained relatively unknown to the public, offered few interviews or public appearances, and so was later referred to as the Invisible Billionaire. Ludwig was born June 24, 1897 in South Haven, Michigan to Daniel Ludwig (1873-1960) and Flora Belle Ludwig (1875-1961). He first married Gladys Madeline Ludwig (1904-1978, m. 1928, div. 1937) and was later re-married to …show more content…

Afterwards, Ludwig began building his ships in Japan where his corporation developed oil supertankers. In 1954, Ludwig founded Exportadora de Sal, SA which became the largest salt corporation in the world, and in 1960 he started Citricos de Chiriqui in Panama, purchasing 10,000 acres of land and planting orange trees for citrus production. In 1967, Ludwig purchased four million acres of forest in Brazil's Amazon basin to develop into a pulp industry. While the Jari Project was unsuccessful given the Brazilian government's lack of cooperation, by 1982 Ludwig had built roads, railways, factories, and a small town in the region. Ludwig also invested in real estate, corporations, banking, savings and loans, hotels, and mining. Starting in 1971 however, Ludwig began selling off his investments and corporations, utilizing his fortune to fund the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research which provided grants for cancer research. Daniel Ludwig died of heart failure on August 27, 1992 in Manhattan, New

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