During World War II, he served in the Army Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific Theatre as a cryptographer based in New Guinea.

[3] He graduated from the University of Iowa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1949, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa society and the Order of Artus.

[1] In 1954, Bucksbaum and his brother Martin borrowed $1.2 million and built the first shopping center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, anchored by a fourth family grocery store.

[1] In 1972, the company became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the name General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP) and became the second-largest owner, developer, and manager of regional shopping malls in the country.

[6][7] Bucksbaum served as its chairman and chief executive officer,[7] and under his tenure he formed two real estate investment trusts and expanded the company's portfolio of malls and shopping centers via more than $36 billion in acquisitions.