Sheldon Adelson | 1933 – 2021
Photos: Sheldon Adelson used his vast wealth to buy political influence.
Gambling tycoon Sheldon Adelson at his Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in China in 2007. (Paul Hilton / EPA / Rex / Shutterstck)
![President Trump stands alongside mega donor Sheldon Adelson](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8acc2d6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5294x3529+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F64%2Fac8b416d488fa23decf2d68e1285%2Fap19342207779735.jpg)
President Trump stands alongside Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chief Executive and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson before speaking at the Israeli American Council National Summit in Hollywood, Fla., in December 2019. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)
![Sheldon Adelson and wife Miriam talk to Ambassador David Friedman in outdoor restaurant seating.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/53346e9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F45%2Fb6%2Fd9ec230b430d838f81585413dd15%2Fap19181623291589.jpg)
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, left, talks to Adelson and his wife, Miriam, at the opening of an ancient road at the City of David, a tourist site in east Jerusalem. (Tsafrir Abayov / Associated Press)
![Sheldon Adelson and others look at a model of a resort.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/54f7faf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2042+0+0/resize/1410x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe9%2F25%2F139773af4894b646b65ceba85ec7%2Fap07020801137.jpg)
Adelson, left, and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chief Operating Officer William P. Weidner examine a model of the Marina Bay Sands resort on Feb. 8, 2007, in Singapore. (Wong Maye-e / Associated Press)
Advertisement
![Sheldon Adelson stands beneath elaborate, gilded artwork on a ceiling.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/33b365b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1836x1200+0+0/resize/1440x941!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F12%2Fb8%2F241af86148f9bd5c78f02ac07eae%2Fap99031702516.jpg)
Venetian Resort Chairman Sheldon Adelson stands before some of the Italian artwork that was re-created to adorn the Venetian Resort hotel-casino in Las Vegas on March 17, 1999. (Laura Rauch / Associated Press)
![Sheldon Adelson, seated, gestures with one hand as he speaks.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/80541c9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3150x2230+0+0/resize/1356x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F13%2Fd9%2F54f1839343978eb61ec0d82158ed%2Fap19107831303345.jpg)
Adelson speaks in Las Vegas in May 2015. (John Locher / Associated Press)
![Sheldon Adelson points his fingers while speaking.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9836267/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3060x2148+0+0/resize/1368x960!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdf%2F7f%2F6473a0cd4c1983ef8eb361282df4%2Fap21012479886962.jpg)
Billionaire Sheldon Adelson speaks at a September 2016 news conference for the opening of Parisian Macao in Macau. (Kin Cheung / Associated Press)