Craig Newmark
| Craig Newmark | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 6, 1952 Morristown, New Jersey, United States |
| Residence | San Francisco |
| Alma mater | Case Western Reserve University |
| Occupation | Computer programmer |
| Known for | Founder of the website Craigslist |
| Spouse(s) | Eileen Whelpley (m. 2012) |
Craig Alexander Newmark (born December 6, 1952) is an American Internet entrepreneur best known for being the founder of the San Francisco-based international website Craigslist.
Newmark was born in Morristown, New Jersey, the son of Joyce and Lee Newmark. He attended a Jewish religious school. His father, an insurance salesman, died when he was thirteen and his mother struggled financially, moving Craig and his brother Jeff into an apartment. In 1971, he graduated from Morristown High School and thanks to scholarships, attended college at Case Western Reserve University, where he received a bachelor of science degree in 1975 and a master of science degree in 1977.
After college, Newmark worked at IBM for 17 years as a programmer, living in New Jersey, Boca Raton, Florida and Detroit. In 1993, he moved to San Francisco to work for Charles Schwab, where he was introduced to the Internet—which at that time was still commercial-free. He developed Craigslist as a free marketplace where people could come together – without charge – and exchange information. It has been described as an "internet commune."
Newmark remains active at Craigslist in customer service, dealing mostly with spammers and scammers. He also operates Craigconnects, a site that publicizes charitable organizations.
Newmark resides in San Francisco's Cole Valley. He describes himself as a non-practicing, secular Jew, joking that his rabbi is the late singer Leonard Cohen. Newmark married Eileen Whelpley in December 2012.
Forbes featured Newmark in its "Billionaires In The Making" list in 2010, estimating his net worth at $400 million. Newmark has donated to the presidential campaign of Democratic Senator and former United States Secretary of State John Kerry. He also supported former President Barack Obama. In 2006 he donated $10,000 to a non-profit group, NewAssignment.Net, which planned to combine the work of amateurs and professionals to produce investigative stories on the Internet. Before the 2016 US Election, Newmark donated to grassroots organizations in 15 states that he identified and vetted using a collaborative called Movement 2016, which he endorsed in a September 2016 blog post.
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