Gordon Sondland is the founder and former chairman of Provenance Hotels and co-founder of the merchant bank Aspen Capital. The Seattle-born businessman is also involved in politics after being named the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union by President Donald Trump.
Sondland rose to prominence after his name continued to be mentioned in the impeachment hearings surrounding the Trump-Ukraine scandal until he ultimately came before the House of Representatives to testify.
During the impeachment hearings, Sondland took the stand and testified in front of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
Everything you need to know about the United States ambassador can be seen below.
Gordon Sondland Ethnicity & Heritage
Sondland was born on July 16, 1957 to a Jewish family in Seattle, Washington. Sondland’s mother, Frieda, fled Europe before World War II to reunite with her father in Uruguay. Sondland’s grandfather served in the French Foreign Legion. After relocating to Seattle, Sondland’s parents opened a dry-cleaning business.
Gordon Sondland Bio
Born: July 16, 1957 (age 62)
Sondland attended the University of Washington but ultimately dropped out to become a commercial real estate salesman. He raised $7.8 million to purchase the bankrupt Roosevelt Hotel in Seattle in 1985. He would then start the company Provence Hotels which owns and manages a number of hotels throughout the United States with hotels in Seattle; Tacoma, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Nashville, Tennessee; and New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sondland has been involved in politics and most notably served as the United States ambassador to the European Union. Sondland received the ambassadorship after donating $1 million to the Donald Trump inaugural committee. After he was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union by President Trump, Sondland’s name was removed from the Provenance Hotels’ website and replaced with that of his wife, Katherine Durant.
During the 2019 impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Sondloand became a star witness due to his direct, open line of communication with the president.