Gidwitz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Brown University.
Business career
Gidwitz served as president and CEO of Helene Curtis Industries, which was sold to Unilever in 1996.[6] He served as its CEO from 1979 through 1998.[7] Since 1998, he has been a co-founder and partner at the private equity firm, GCG Partners, and serves as a regional chairman for Business Executives for National Security in Chicago.[8] Gidwitz's family owns a majority stake in Continental Materials Corp., which Gidwitz resigned from the board of when he became ambassador.[9]
For many years, a company controlled by Gidwitz and his cousin Ralph owned the Evergreen Terrace housing project in Joliet, Illinois, a 356-unit complex of high-rise apartments where 90% of tenants were families with young African-American single mothers. Their management of the complex attracted strong criticism, including from then-Senator Barack Obama. There were descriptions made of “inhumane conditions” and an overwhelming stench of urine in the complex. The mayor of Joliet described the complex as “unsafe and dangerous, a public nuisance and a blighted area”. A judge declared that the standards were “deplorable”. Gidwitz, in court, blamed the City of Joliet, claiming that they had repeatedly blocked attempts to secure federal financing for improvements.[10] He especially noted his frustration in being turned down by the city in his effort to improve security—one of the main issues the same city had questioned.[11]
Political career
City of Chicago positions
Mayor Harold Washington appointed Gidwitz the Chairman of the Chicago Economic Development Commission.[12] He retained this position during the mayoralty of Eugene Sawyer.[6] Gidwitz was appointed chairman of the Board of City Colleges of Chicago by mayor Richard M. Daley in 1991.[13] He was confirmed by the Chicago City Council on October 2, 1991.[14] He replaced previous CCC chairman Reynaldo Glover.[15] His appointment was seen as an effort by Daley to involve the business community in the city's education reform.[16] His tenure ended when he resigned on April 14, 1999, amid a power struggle with the new chancellor Wayne Watson.[17] Gidwitz's tenure was highly criticized by faculty in the system.[13] Between 1991 and 1995, the system lost $50 million in high-risk investments.[13]
Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education
Gidwitz was appointed a member of the Illinois State Board of Education in 1999.[18] Gidwitz soon became chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education in April 1999, having been nominated by Governor George Ryan.[17][19]
In 1999, early into his tenure as chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, Gidwitz made comments about the state's mathematics score on standardized testing, which accused the state's public school teachers of being inadequately trained on providing instruction on the subject. Superintendents of many school districts took issue to his remarks, with Paul Vallas (the CEO of Chicago Public Schools) remarking on Gidwitz, "he's not a supporter of public education, and he has a low opinion of teachers and schools in general."[20]
Having again been nominated by Governor George Ryan, Gidwitz was reconfirmed by the Illinois Senate on November 14, 2001, to continue to serve as chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education.[21] His term as board president expired on April 18, 2003.[21][22] He continued to serve as a member of the board until the following year.[18]
Gidwitz spent $5.3 million of his own funds on the campaign, which was (at the time) a record amount of self-financing for an Illinois gubernatorial campaign. This would not surpassed until Bruce Rauner's 2014 campaign.[26][27] Gidwitz co-endorsed and jointly campaigned with State Senator Steve Rauschenberger as his preferred choice of runningmate. The lieutnant gubernatorial nominee was selected by voters in the coinciding lieutenant gubernatorial primary (which was held sperately from the gubernatorial primary).[28]
Lacking name recognition, his campaign spent large sums on early advertising in media markets such as Quincy.[29] His campaign would later run attack ads against Topinka, which characterized her as supportive of large government spending and being unsuited for bringing reforms to the state government.[30]
In May 2018, he was nominated to become the Trump administration's Ambassador to Belgium. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 28, 2018.[31] He presented his credentials to King Philippe on July 4, 2018.[4]
Gidwitz served as campaign chairman and finance chair of Kirk Dillard's unsuccessful 2010 Illinois gubernatorial campaign.[36][37] Gidwitz served as campaign co-chair and finance chair for Bruce Rauner's successful 2014 bid for Illinois governor.[35][38] He was a key early supporter of Rauner's campaign,[39] and ultimately contributed $55,300 in funding to support Rauner's campaign.[6]
By 2016, Gidwitz had established himself as one of the Republican Party's largest Illinois campaign donors.[40] He gave large amounts to Republican national campaigns. In 2016 alone, he gave $700,000 to Trump, pro-Trump PACs, Republican House and Senate candidates, and national Republican organizations. He also gave to state and local Republicans in Illinois. From 1991 through 2016, he gave $1.3 million in contributions to Republican state and local candidates, party organizations, and causes.[6]
Gidwitz is the son of prominent Chicago businessman, Gerald Gidwitz. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Christina Gidwitz (née Kemper), and two sons. His wife Christina's father was the late James S. Kemper.[44]
^Kozubowski, Walter (City Clerk) (March 25, 1986). "Regular Meeting: Tuesday, March 25, 1986"(PDF). Chicago City Council Journal of Proceedings. p. 28671. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
^Hill, James (September 11, 1991). "City Colleges board chief Glover steps down". Chicago Tribune. p. NA3 – via ProQuest.
^Washburn, Gary; Martinez, Michael (April 15, 1999). "Gidwitz quits City Colleges Board". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
^ abWashburn, Gary; Martinez, Michael (April 15, 1999). "GIDWITZ QUITS CITY COLLEGES BOARD". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 4, 2020.