Lewis Katz

Lewis Katz (; January 11, 1942 – May 31, 2014) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and newspaper publisher, who was a co-owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Early life Katz was born to a Jewish family in Camden, New Jersey, on January 11, 1942, and grew up in the Parkside section of the city. He was raised along with his sister, Sandra Katz (Wolff) by their mother, a secretary at RCA, after their father died when they were very young.

Career Katz became a lawyer and businessman, making millions in parking lots, billboards and sports. Katz was a former owner of Kinney Parking Systems, at the time the largest parking company in New York City, and the former chairman of Interstate Outdoor Advertising, one of the largest regional outdoor-advertising firms in the country. He was the majority owner of five radio stations in Atlantic and Cape May counties at the Jersey Shore, and a founding partner of the law firm Katz, Ettin & Levine in Cherry Hill.

Sports ownership Katz invested in the two New Jersey sports teams back in 2000. He was part of the YankeeNets/Puck Holdings group along with Ray Chambers. The group purchased the New Jersey Devils from their original owner Dr. John McMullen.

Katz's ownership involvement of both teams ended in 2003 when the YankeeNets group disintegrated with the Devils being sold to Jeffrey Vanderbeek and the Nets sold to Bruce Ratner. The Devils have since been sold again while the Nets were also sold and moved to Brooklyn. entrepreneurs. Katz was a donor to the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, New Jersey, and the National Museum of American Jewish History. His wife died in 2013, approximately five months before Katz's own death.

On May 31, 2014, Katz and six others died when a chartered airplane crashed on takeoff at Hanscom Field and burst into flames. An FAA spokesperson said that the Gulfstream IV business jet apparently ran off Runway 11 as the aircraft was departing for Atlantic City, New Jersey, failing to become airborne because the gust lock was left engaged.