25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorated
On September 11, 2026, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick paid tribute to the 658 employees of Cantor Fitzgerald who perished in the September 11 attacks, including his own brother.
At the time of the attacks in 2001, Lutnick was leading Cantor Fitzgerald, which was headquartered on the upper floors of the North Tower at the World Trade Center. Interestingly, he wasn’t at his office that morning as he was late, dropping off his son for his first day of kindergarten.
The tragedy struck when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower, damaging the stairwells and trapping many inside, including Lutnick’s brother, Gary, a managing director on the 104th floor.
“My brother Gary was the kindest and most fun person I knew. He was always smiling in pictures. Almost every day in the last 25 years, I’ve thought, I wish Gary was here,” Lutnick shared on social media. “He was just 36, gone for being an American going to work. I love and miss you, my brother.”
Additionally, Doug Gardner, whom Lutnick described as his best friend, also lost his life that day. Gardner was an executive managing director at Cantor Fitzgerald.
“Doug and I were best friends since college. Our lives were intertwined—we raised families together and celebrated milestones together,” Lutnick recounted. “He had a huge heart and adored his family.”
Lutnick recalled spending a weekend in Central Park teaching their sons how to ride bikes, noting that Gardner was the better teacher.
“Doug inspired me to be better. He brought joy to everyone he met. I miss my friend.”
Despite significant losses, including losing two-thirds of its New York workforce, Cantor Fitzgerald managed to rebound. After 9/11, losses were immense, reaching $1 million daily, but within days, they resumed electronic trading and began hiring again.
In a remarkable gesture of support, the company committed to a decade of health care for the families of its lost employees and donated a significant portion of its profits to assist them over five years, resulting in around $180 million in aid.
After Lutnick transitioned to the Trump administration in 2025, his son, Brandon, took over as chairman. The firm extended job offers to the children of those who had died, with many descendants eventually joining the company.
On the anniversary, Lutnick participated in a memorial service at Ground Zero alongside the Vice President and several former presidents, where the names of the World Trade Center victims were read aloud.
