Benjamin Leon, Jr. (born December 4, 1944) is a Cuban-American businessman and horse enthusiast who has been announced by President Donald Trump to serve as the next United States ambassador to Spain.[2][3]
Leon was born in Oriente, Cuba in 1944.[1] Leon migrated to Miami, Florida, United States in 1961.[1][4] He is of Spanish-Canarian descent through his great grandparents who were from the Canary Islands that settled in Cuba.[5] Leon's father founded Clinica Cuba in 1964 in order to help meet the healthcare needs of newly immigrated Cubans.[1] Leon and his father Leon Sr. also founded Clínica Asociación Cubana (CAC), one of the first health maintenance organizations in the United States.[6] In 1994, Leon sold CAC to UnitedHealthCare for $500 million.[6] In 1996, Leon founded Leon Medical Centers, which provides healthcare to Medicare patients.[7] Leon Medical Centers is currently led by Leon's son, Benjamin Leon III, who serves as the company's CEO.[8]
In the 1980s, Leon established Besilu Stables, and began to show and breed Paso Fino horses.[4] In 2008, Leon bought his first Thoroughbred, and soon after started racing horses.[4] In 2011, Leon bought Royal Delta for $8.5 million. She would win the Eclipse Award for American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly in 2011 and again in 2012 and 2013 as the American Champion Older Dirt Female Horse.[6]
In 2015, Leon donated $2.5 million to the presidential campaign of Marco Rubio.[9] Leon has also donated to the Republican Party of Kentucky and Mitch McConnell.[10]
In 2008, Leon donated $10 million to establish the Florida International University Family Center for Geriatrics Research and Education.[11]
