Henry Silverman

Henry R. Silverman (born August 1, 1940) is an American entrepreneur and private equity investor. Silverman is best known for his role in building Cendant Corporation into a multibillion-dollar business services company that provided car rentals, travel reservation services as well as real estate brokerage services and was also the largest franchisor of hotels globally. Among the brands that Silverman controlled included hotels and motels such as AmeriHost Inn, Days Inn, Howard Johnson's, Ramada, Super 8 and Travelodge; car rental operators such as Avis Rent a Car System and Budget Rent a Car; real estate brokerages such as Coldwell Banker, Century 21 Real Estate and Sotheby's International Realty; as well as Orbitz Worldwide. Early life and education Born to a Jewish family, in Brooklyn, the son of the chief executive of commercial finance firm James Talcott Inc. Silverman graduated with a B.A. from Williams College and then a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School. He served in the United States Navy Reserves and then practiced tax law. Career