Peter Kalikow  Peter Stephen Kalikow (born December 1, 1942) is president of H. J. Kalikow & Company, LLC, a New York City-based real estate firm. He is a former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), former commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and past owner and publisher of the "New York Post". Born to a Jewish family, the son of Juliet and Harold J. Kalikow. Kalikow was raised in Forest Hills, Queens, the grandson of an immigrant from Russia who developed housing on large tracts of undeveloped farmland in Queens in the 1930s and then aided by his son, made a small fortune from the post-World War II housing boom building thousands of six-story apartment buildings. After graduating from Hofstra University, Kalikow began his career in real estate in 1967 and became president of H. J. Kalikow & Co. in 1973. In 1988, Kalikow purchased "The New York Post" from Rupert Murdoch for $37.6 million. In 1993, Kalikow decalared bankruptcy and lost the newspaper, which was eventually purchased by Murdoch's News Corporation. Kalikow served as chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from March 2001 to October 2007. He was appointed by then-governor George Pataki, and continued his service into the governorship of Eliot Spitzer. In May 2000, Kalikow was named chairman of the Grand Central Partnership, one of New York City's Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). Kalikow company officers are located in 101 Park Avenue, located near Grand Central Terminal. Kalikow endorsed Herman Cain in the US presidential election, 2012. When Cain dropped out of the race, it was revealed that his "super PAC", called "Cain Connections," was funded by a single $50,000 donation from Kalikow. In 1982, he was awarded the Israel Peace Medal, Israel's highest civilian award, for his dedication to assisting the nation's development. In November 2008, Kalikow was honored by Consul General of Italy Francesco M. Talo, with the Commendatore in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Government of Italy. Kalikow is widely recognized as a cultural ambassador for his economic and philanthropic efforts as they relate to Italy. Kalikow has sat on the board of trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 1987. In 2015, Kalikow, a Hofstra University trustee and alumnus, established the Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs at Hofstra with a $12 million gift.