John J. Cali (August 8, 1918 – February 1, 2014) was an American businessman, real estate developer, and philanthropist.
He worked his way through college by playing saxophone and clarinet in jazz and swing bands eventually graduating from Indiana University Bloomington with a B.A.
[2] In 1994, the company went public as a real estate investment trust under the name Cali Realty Corporation, creating the first office REIT in New Jersey;[4] he served as its chairman from 1994 until its 1997 merger with the Mack Company (founded by H. Bert Mack, and then operated by Mack's four sons Fredric, David, Earle, and William),[5] creating Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, the largest office-property owner in New Jersey.
His second marriage ended in 1973 after his wife, Renee, and his stepdaughter, Leslie Grant, were murdered in the basement of the family's home in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.
[6] The family's "window washer [Robert Del Petrarca] who had been occasionally employed by the Calis was later convicted in the murders.