Vincent Viola

[2] Viola is the owner of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL),[3] and the founder and chairman of Virtu Financial.

[4] He is also the owner of St. Elias Stables and co-owner, with fellow Brooklynite Anthony Bonomo, of the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.

[6] Viola was born in 1956 to an Italian-American family in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Virginia (Torre) and John A.

[10] Upon graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School, Viola attended the United States Military Academy[10] at West Point, New York.

After graduating from the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School, he served with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell[12] for several years.

[17] Leah McGrath Goodman's 2011 book, The Asylum: The Renegades Who Hijacked the World's Oil Market, describes Viola and his temperament.

Goodman wrote that Viola "had a nasty temper, but [predecessor chairman Lou] Guttman says he didn't lose control of his emotions easily" and that "beneath the spit and polish he was still a tough guy from Brooklyn."

[21] Viola withdrew himself from consideration for the position on February 3, 2017, citing his inability to comply with Pentagon regulations regarding personal businesses.

[22] After the September 11 attacks, Viola helped found the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, and was the principal funder at its creation.

Viola (left) speaking to Senator Dan Sullivan in January 2017