Annette Lerner

Annette M. Lerner is an American artist and the widow of real estate developer Theodore N. (Ted) Lerner, the founding managing principal owner of the Washington Nationals Washington NationalsThe Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team in Washington, D.C., playing at Nationals Park.Open the full entry; the Lerner family owns the Washington, D.C.-area real estate firm Lerner Enterprises and the Washington Nationals. Forbes ForbesForbes is an American business media brand that began with Forbes magazine, founded by B.C. Forbes in 1917. It is known for rankings such as the Forbes 400, the World’s Billionaires list and 30 Under 30, and operates Forbes.com, ForbesLive events and licensed editions in 81 countries. Since 2014 a majority stake has been held by the Hong Kong investment group Integrated Whale Media; a 2021 plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange through a special purpose acquisition company was terminated in 2022. It is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.Open the full entry included “Annette Lerner & family” on its 2026 list of the richest person in every state (Maryland).

Contents9 sections

Key facts

Early Life: Silver Spring

Annette Lerner (née Morris) grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her father, Nathan “Bill” Morris, was an engineer and an avid pilot; she first landed a propeller plane at age 12.⁠[1][2]

Before her marriage she worked as a secretary at the State Department.⁠[1]

1948–1952Marriage and the Founding of Lerner Enterprises

She met Ted Lerner at a dance in 1948; they married in 1951 and remained together until his death.⁠[1]

When Ted Lerner chose to sell real estate instead of practicing law, she gave him her trousseau money. In 1952 she lent her 26-year-old husband $250 to start a real estate company selling homes for developers; that year Ted Lerner founded Lerner Enterprises.⁠[1][3][2]

Lerner Enterprises became one of the largest owners of real estate in the Washington, D.C., area.⁠[3]

2006Ownership of the Washington Nationals

On May 3, 2006, Ted Lerner was named managing principal owner of the Washington Nationals, and the Lerner family has owned the team since then; in 2018 Ted Lerner passed control of the team to his son Mark Lerner.⁠[2][3]

2019–2024Art and Exhibitions

Lerner began as a painter, then took up sculpture, and later printmaking and glass.⁠[1]

From September 3 to October 20, 2019, the American University Museum presented her exhibition “Our World Above: Monoprints and Glass,” her first exhibition in Washington, D.C.; the works depict clouds, the moon and sunsets.⁠[4]

In 2022 the American University Museum presented “Glorious Glass: Works by Annette Lerner,” showing glass sculptures she shapes by hand through bending, shaping and gluing. As of 2024 she was making larger glass pieces at a studio in Kensington, Maryland.⁠[1][5]

February 2023Death of Ted Lerner

Ted Lerner died in February 2023 at the age of 97, after 71 years of marriage. Annette Lerner and her children became the heirs of his estate.⁠[2][1][3]

October 2026Forbes Wealth Estimate

As of October 26, 2026, Forbes estimated the real-time net worth of “Annette Lerner & family” at $5.6 billion, giving the residence as Chevy Chase, Maryland.⁠[3]

Philanthropy

Annette and Ted Lerner supported causes through the Annette M. Lerner and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation; the family’s donations have gone to Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., George Washington University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.⁠[1][3]

Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts

Washington Nationals: Official website: https://www.mlb.com/nationals (opens in a new window).⁠[6]