Fred Trump was a businessman.
Frederick Christ Trump ( October 11 , 1905 -- June 25 , 1999 ) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist , primarily in New York City , and father of Donald Trump , the 45th President of the United States , and Maryanne Trump Barry , a United States Court of Appeals judge . By 15 , in partnership with his mother , Elizabeth Christ Trump , and non-family investors , Trump had begun a career in home construction and sales .