William Rea was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

 magnate

Business magnate

A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...

 and civic leader in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

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He was a key collaborator with H. J. Heinz II

H. J. Heinz II

Henry John Heinz II , best known as Jack Heinz, was an American business executive and CEO of the H. J. Heinz Company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....

 in the creation of Pittsburgh's Cultural District

Cultural District, Pittsburgh

The Cultural District is a fourteen-square block area in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA bordered by the Allegheny River on the north, Tenth Street on the east, Stanwix Street on the west, and Liberty Avenue on the south....

, and he served leadership roles on the boards of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, Pittsburgh Public Schools

Pittsburgh Public Schools

Pittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and adjacent Mount Oliver.The combined land area of these municipalities is with a population of 342,503 according to the 2000 census. In August 2005, the superintendent became Mark Roosevelt. His tenure ends...

, the University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

, Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

, and the Heinz Endowments

Heinz Endowments

The Heinz Endowments are among the largest philanthropic organizations in the United States.Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Heinz Endowments consist of two private foundations, the Howard Heinz Endowment and the Vira I. Heinz Endowment, and its monies originate from the Heinz family,...

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Rea grew up in the Squirrel Hill

Squirrel Hill

Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the east end of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated as a single neighborhood...

 neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He graduated from Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

 and began his career as an English teacher at American University

American University

American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...

, then took on management roles at Edgewater Steel Company and W. R. Grace and Company

W. R. Grace and Company

W. R. Grace and Company is a Columbia, Maryland, United States based chemical conglomerate.The company has two main divisions, Davison Chemicals and Performance Chemicals. The Davison unit makes chemical catalysts, refining catalysts, and silica-based products that let other companies make...

. His real estate development career was with the Henry W. Oliver

Henry W. Oliver

Henry W. Oliver was an American industrialist.-Biography:Henry W. Oliver was born in Ireland in 1845. Two years later his family settled in Pittsburgh. Oliver began working at the age of thirteen as a messenger boy for the National Telegraph Company in Pittsburgh. Oliver worked at various jobs...

 Estate. In his later years, Rea lived in Stahlstown, Pennsylvania

Stahlstown, Pennsylvania

Stahlstown is a small unincorporated community in Cook Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, just a few miles from the Donegal exit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, located at the intersection of route 711 and route 130.The village was...

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