Harold Schwartz

Harold Schwartz (March 13, 1910 – December 22, 2003) was an American businessman and real estate developer who along with his son, H. Gary Morse, founded the active adult retirement community The Villages, Florida.

Early life Harold Schwartz was born March 13, 1910, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Louis and Katherine Schwartz. Harold was Jewish.

Career In the 1930s, Schwartz worked as a travelling salesman, selling products for his father's tailoring company until it was forced to close due to the Great Depression.

In 1947, Schwartz began purchasing radio stations, including several "border buster" stations in Mexico.

In the 1950s and 60s, Schwartz operated a thriving mail-order real estate business, selling plots of land in New Mexico and Florida to customers around the country until federal law banned the practice in 1968.

In 1992, the name of the development was changed from Orange Blossom Gardens to The Villages.

Schwartz died on December 22, 2003, at the age of 93. His ashes were interred in the base of a statue depicting him at Spanish Springs Town Square in Lady Lake, Florida.