The Tisch brothers were major forces in the real estate industry with diversification into other areas. Laurence Alan (born 1923) became CEO of CBS, while Preston Robert (born 1926) once served as postmaster general of the United States.

Laurence Alan Tisch was born in Brooklyn on March 5, 1923, and his brother, Preston Robert (Bob), was born in Brooklyn on April 29, 1926. Their father, Abraham Solomon (Al), was a businessman in the garment industry who also owned two children's camps which he and his wife, Sadye, managed during the summers when the garment industry traditionally closed down.

Laurence attended New York University, from which he graduated cum laude with a B.Sc. at the age of 18 in 1942. Subsequently, he became one of the school's major benefactors. Laurence was awarded an M.A. in industrial engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1943 and attended Harvard Law School in 1946. Bob attended Bucknell but left for...