Benjamin Leon, Jr. | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Spain Nominee | |
Assuming office TBD | |
President | Donald Trump |
Succeeding | Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] Oriente,Cuba | December 4,1944
Benjamin Leon,Jr. (born December 4,1944) is a Cuban-American businessman and horse enthusiast who has been announced by President Donald Trump to serve as the next United States ambassador to Spain. [2] [3]
Leon was born in Oriente,Cuba in 1944. [1] Leon migrated to Miami,Florida,United States in 1961. [1] [4] Leon's father founded Clinica Cuba in 1964 in order to help meet the healthcare needs of newly immigrated Cubans. [1] Leon and his father also founded Clínica Asociación Cubana (CAC),one of the first health maintenance organizations in the United States. [5] In 1994,Leon sold CAC to UnitedHealthCare for $500 million. [5] In 1996,Leon founded Leon Medical Centers,which provides healthcare to Medicare patients. [6] Leon Medical Centers is currently led by Leon's son,Benjamin Leon III,who serves as the company's CEO. [7]
In the 1980s,Leon established Besilu Stables,and began to show and breed Paso Fino horses. [4] In 2008,Leon bought his first Thoroughbred,and soon after started racing horses. [4] In 2011,Leon bought Royal Delta for $8.5 million. She would win the Eclipse Award for American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly in 2011 and again in 2012 and 2013 as the American Champion Older Dirt Female Horse. [5]
In 2015,Leon donated $2.5 million to the presidential campaign of Marco Rubio. [8] Leon has also donated to the Republican Party of Kentucky and Mitch McConnell. [9]
In 2008,Leon donated $10 million to establish the Florida International University Family Center for Geriatrics Research and Education. [10]