By Anthony Barrett

A national icon has just celebrated his 70th birthday.

Because of his birthday, let’s take a look back at his life.

Donald J. Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in New York City. Trump is son to real estate developer Fred Trump and philanthropist Mary Anne MacLeod.

Trump attended private The Kew-Forest School until age 13. However, behavioral issues caused his parents to enroll him in the New York Military Academy. Trump thrived at the academy, where he attained the rank of captain during his senior year. Trump also would have fought in the Vietnam War but was medically ineligible for the draft due to heel spurs in his feet according to The Washington Post.

Then Trump went on to attend Fordham University for two years. After Fordham, he studied business at the University of Pennsylvania. At the time of his graduation in 1968, Trump stated he was worth $200,000.

After his college years, Trump joined his father’s real estate business, Elizabeth Trump and Son, at age 23. At the time, the company was focused on developing middle class housing in Staten Island and Queens.

However, Trump quickly adapted to the high stakes real estate world when he bought the Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio for $5.7 million. Trump was highly involved in the improvement of the complex and sold it a couple years later for a profit of just over one million dollars.

Plans were made to renovate the Central Park’s Wollman Ice Skating Rink in 1980. The general contractor in charge of the project stated that the job would take two and a half years at the most, but by 1986, the rink was still uncompleted. That same year Trump took over the project, finished it in three months and $750,000 under budget.

Since then, Trump has built casinos, hotels, restaurants, and apartments.

In late 2003, Trump became the executive producer of a reality show on NBC called The Apprentice. Contestants on the show competed for a high level management position at one of Trump’s properties. The show was highly successful, and Trump reported he made $3 million per episode at the end of its tenure.

In 1988, 2004, and 2012, Trump flirted with the idea of running for president. However, he did not. In late February 2015, Trump chose not to renew his television contract for The Apprentice, hinting at a 2016 run for president.

On June 16, 2015, Trump announced that he would be running for president in 2016. His campaign quickly began to gain traction when he spoke on issues such as illegal immigration, the U.S. national debt, and Islamic terrorism.

Trump’s path to the Republican nominee was not easy, since he joined a pool with 16 other candidates, the largest nominee field in U.S. history.  However, on May 3, 2016 the last remaining competitor, John Kasich, dropped out, making Trump the presumptive nominee.

Whether Trump wins or loses the general election, his achievements in business and politics are undeniable.