Vincent Viola

Early life Viola was born in 1956 to an Italian-American family in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Virginia (Torre) and John A. Viola. His father, an immigrant from Italy, worked as a truck driver after serving in the U.S. Army in the European theater of WWII. Upon graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School, Viola attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Viola played on the sprint football team and was cadet company commander for Company E-4 his senior year.

Viola graduated with a bachelor's degree from the United States Military Academy in 1977 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. After graduating from the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School, he served with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell for several years. He received his juris doctor degree from New York Law School in June 1983, but did not complete the New York bar exam.

Career Viola began his business career as a trader in the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) in 1982, raising $10,000 to purchase a seat on the exchange.

In 1985, he founded Pioneer Futures, one of the top fifty futures commission merchants in the US. In 1988, he founded The Independent Bank Group, a Texas-based regional bank which is listed on NASDAQ (IBTX). Viola took Virtu Financial public in April 2015, trading as a NASDAQ listed company (VIRT).

Leah McGrath Goodman's 2011 book, The Asylum: The Renegades Who Hijacked the World's Oil Market, describes Viola and his temperament. Goodman wrote that Viola "had a nasty temper, but [predecessor chairman Lou] Guttman says he didn't lose control of his emotions easily" and that "beneath the spit and polish he was still a tough guy from Brooklyn." In the book, Lou Guttman, the previous chairman at the NYMEX, said Viola "exuded leadership. His personality was amazing. He drew people in. He was a phenomenal speaker. Even if he didn't know what he was talking about, he sounded like he knew what he was saying. He was an astute businessman and an extreme opportunist."

Viola owns the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL), which he purchased in September 2013 for $250 million.

In 2004, Viola, along with a group of investors, purchased the New Jersey Nets of the NBA. Prior to this purchase, Viola was required to divest his racing interests. When the team was sold in 2010, Viola returned to racing. The choice was reported to be concerning to the nominated Secretary of Defense General Jim Mattis, who was reportedly not informed of the choice prior to the announcement, a position he would directly oversee, and was concerned about potential trading practices which were not yet fully investigated.

Viola withdrew himself from consideration for the position on February 3, 2017, citing his inability to comply with Pentagon regulations regarding personal businesses. Military Times reported that Viola had been searching for ways to divest from his business ventures, including transferring ownership of the Florida Panthers to his family members and transferring responsibility for operations to Vice Chairman Douglas Cifu.

Philanthropy After the September 11 attacks, Viola helped found the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, and was the principal funder at its creation. Viola founded a technology company, Rowan Technology Solutions, to support cadet education in the areas of military history, military science, and leadership. Viola has endowed the Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. Chair in Catholic Theology at Fordham University.

Personal life Viola and his wife Teresa have three adult sons and live in New York City. In January 2021, they sold their townhouse in the Brooklyn Heights Historical District for $25.5 million, setting a borough record.

Both Viola and his wife are involved in horse racing as the owners of St. Elias Stable and Teresa Viola Racing. They are co-owners of Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.