Willard Goldsmith Rouse III (June 19, 1942 – May 27, 2003) was an American real estate developer, best known for his role in the construction of Philadelphia's One Liberty Place.
[3] Rouse spent two years stationed in West Germany while serving in the U.S. Army[3] and graduated from the University of Virginia in 1966 with a degree in English.
[8] One Liberty Place remained the tallest building in Philadelphia until the completion of the Comcast Center in 2007.
[4] During plans to develop Penn's Landing, Rouse was the target of an extortion attempt by Philadelphia city councilman Leland Beloff and organized crime boss Nicodemo Scarfo.
[6] Rouse was an active civic leader in Philadelphia, serving as chairman of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority[4] and We the People 200, Inc., a celebration of the U.S. Constitution's 200th anniversary.