John Cushman III of Cushman & Wakefield Dies at 82
By Mark Hallum May 5, 2023 12:30 pm
reprints
Cushman & Wakefield (CWK)’s John Cushman III died Thursday at the age of 82, the firm announced.
Cushman served as chairman for global transactions at C&W up until his death and spent 60 years in the industry helping to build the brokerage into the global enterprise that it is known for today.
“Cushman & Wakefield is deeply saddened by the loss of John C. Cushman III, member of Cushman & Wakefield’s founding family,” Brett White, executive chairman of C&W, said in a statement. “John was an extraordinary businessperson and global citizen who significantly impacted Cushman & Wakefield, the commercial real estate industry and broader community.”
After graduating with a degree in economics from Colgate University — which later awarded him an honorary doctorate in humane letters — Cushman attended the advanced management program at Harvard Business School.
In 1963, Cushman began his work at the New York offices of the firm, which was founded by his grandfather John Clydesdale Cushman and his great uncle Bernard Wakefield in 1917. He moved to Los Angeles five years later to launch C&W’s first office in Southern California.
Cushman broke away from C&W in 1978 to start Cushman Corporation Realty with his twin brother, Louis Cushman, which grew to 11 offices in the U.S. with over 200 employees before merging with C&W in 2001. Louis still serves as vice chairman of the board.
John Cushman is survived by his wife, Jeanine; four sons and 10 grandchildren.
Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.
