Neil David Levin
Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
In office
April 2001[1] – September 11, 2001
Nominated byGeorge Pataki
Preceded byRobert E. Boyle
Succeeded byRonald Shiftan
Superintendent of Insurance of New York
In office
April 1, 1997 – April 5, 2001
GovernorGeorge Pataki
Preceded byEdward J. Muhl
Succeeded byGregory V. Serio
Superintendent of Banks of New York
In office
February 14, 1995 – April 1997
GovernorGeorge Pataki
Preceded byCarmine M. Tenga
Succeeded byElizabeth McCaul
Personal details
Born
Neil David Levin

(1954-09-16)September 16, 1954
New York City, U.S.
DiedSeptember 11, 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 46)
New York City, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseChristy Ferer
EducationLafayette College
Long Island University
Maurice A. Deane School of Law
Levin's name is located on Panel N-65 of the National September 11 Memorial’s North Pool.

Neil David Levin (September 16, 1954[2] – September 11, 2001) was an American businessman and political figure who was executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from April 2001 until his death during the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center later that year.[1]

Early life

Neil David Levin was a native of Brooklyn.[1]

Career

In February 1995, Levin was appointed by New York Gov. George Pataki to serve as the state's Superintendent of Banks.[3] He took over from acting Superintendent Carmine M. Tenga.[4] In this role, Levin was the state's chief banking regulator, head of the Department of Banking, and Chairman of the State Banking Board. He was succeeded by Elizabeth McCaul as Superintendent of Banks.[5] In 1997, Pataki named Levin as the state Superintendent of Insurance, which made him the state's chief insurance regulator.[6] Pataki also named him the Chairman of the Commission on the Recovery of Holocaust Victims' Assets, which arranged for the return of assets to families in New York.[7]

In early 2001, Pataki and then New Jersey Gov. Donald DiFrancesco named Levin as the executive director of the Port Authority.[8] In this role he was the chief executive officer of the agency which runs the World Trade Center, various bridges and tunnels around New York City, the three airports in the New York City area, the seaports in New York and New Jersey, and various international trade programs. Levin was executive director for five months before his death.[1]

September 11 attacks and death

Levin worked in a corner office on the 67th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower. On September 11, 2001, Levin was at the Windows on the World restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower. When American Airlines Flight 11 was deliberately crashed into the tower between floors 93–99, all escape routes were cut off for anyone higher than the 91st floor, and Levin became one of roughly 800 people trapped in the upper floors of the burning skyscraper.[9]

Before the tower was struck, Levin was speaking on the phone with his executive adviser, Karen Eastman. She later related that when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the tower, "Our reaction was 'What was that?' It hit on the opposite side so we just felt the impact and the building kept shaking and swaying for a long time."[1]

Personal life and legacy

Levin lived in Manhattan.[10]

At the National 9/11 Memorial, Levin is memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-65.[11] He is buried at Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Glendale, Queens, New York.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Neil D. Levin, 47, P.A. executive director". NJ.com. August 15, 2011. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Memorial Guide | National September 11th Memorial & Museum". Names.911memorial.org.
  3. ↑ "15 Feb 1995, 4 - The Post-Star". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Annual report of the Superintendent of the Banking Department of the State of New York" (PDF). Nysl.ptfs.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Governor Pataki Appoints Neil Levin as Superintendent of State Insurance Department". 24 June 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-06-24. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "NYS Banking Department". 18 April 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-04-18. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "NEIL D. LEVIN: World Trade Center: A Consensus Builder". Legacy.com. 7 June 2000.
  8. ↑ Smothers, Ronald (31 March 2001). "Pataki Names State Official as Port Authority's Chief". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ Dwyer, Jim; Lipton, Eric (May 26, 2002). "102 Minutes: Last Words at the Trade Center; Fighting to Live as the Towers Die". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ Wyatt, Edward (September 22, 2001). "Neil Levin, Executive Director Of Bistate Port Authority, 46". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2009.
  11. ↑ "North Pool: Panel N-65 – Neil David Levin". National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
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