William J. Pulte (May 16, 1932 – March 7, 2018) was the founder and chairman of PulteGroup, one of the largest home construction and real estate development companies in the United States.[1] He built his first home by hand at age 18 near Detroit City Airport and sold it for $10,000.[1] In 1956, he founded William J. Pulte Inc., and by 1959 had constructed his first subdivision, Concord Green in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[1] Throughout the 1960s and beyond, Pulte expanded his company across multiple states including Washington D.C., Chicago, and Atlanta.[1] The company went public in 1969 and became a Fortune 500 company by 1999.[1] By 1995, PulteGroup was the largest homebuilder in the United States, and by the 1980s operated in 11 states with revenues of $294 million.[1] In 2001, the company acquired Del Webb Corporation, a retirement community builder.[1] Pulte retired from the company in 2010 at age 85.[1] Pulte was recognized for his design philosophy emphasizing quality, affordability, and innovation, helping millions of Americans achieve homeownership.[3] Beyond business, he was a man of deep Catholic faith who committed substantial resources to philanthropy.[3] He established the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation to formalize his giving, supporting churches, Catholic schools, housing programs, hunger initiatives, and healthcare efforts.[3] In 2016, after the company relocated its headquarters from Michigan to Atlanta, Pulte—who owned 9% of the company—pressured CEO Richard Dugas Jr. to resign over the strategic direction.[1] Pulte passed away on March 7, 2018, at age 85, leaving a legacy as an industry icon who delivered more than 700,000 homes over six decades and demonstrated that business success could be coupled with significant charitable giving.[5]