William W . Hannan William Washington Hannan ( July 4 , 1854 – December 24 , 1917 ) was a real estate developer and the first president of the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges ( now National Association of Realtors ) . Early years . Hannan was born in Rochester , New York in 1854 . He moved to Dowagiac , Michigan , at age two . He graduated from Dowagiac High School in 1873 and enrolled at the preparatory school at Oberlin College in Ohio from 1874 - 1876 . University of Michigan . In 1876 , he enrolled at the University of Michigan , receiving a degree from the classical department in 1880 and a bachelor of law degree in 1883 . While attending Michigan , Hannan won a reputation as one of the university ' s best athletes and " made an especially good record as a sprinter . " Hannan also played for the Michigan baseball team , and for the first intercollegiate football team to represent the University of Michigan , as a " rusher " for the 1879 Michigan Wolverines football team . While studying law at Michigan , he also worked as the " engrossing and enrolling clerk " in the lower house of the Michigan State Legislature . Business career . In 1883 , Hannan associated with Judge William L . Carpenter in a law practice known as Carpenter & Hannan . After practicing law for a year , Hannan entered the real estate business , initially in partnership with Herbert N . Snow under the name Hannan & Snow Company . That firmed dissolved after a few months , and , in 1885 , Hannan net founded the Hannan Real Estate Exchange , which he operated for more than 30 years . By 1891 , Hannan had established himself at " the top of the list " among Detroit ' s real estate men . The Hannan Exchange handled many of the Detroit ' s large real estate transactions . He was involved in the sale of land at Griswold and Congress Streets where the new owners built the 23 - story Ford Building , which was considered " one of the finest office structures in the city , " and held the title as tallest building in Detroit from 1909 until 1913 . Hannan was also a real estate developer , opening and improving many subdivisions , including the Park Hill , Medbury , Baldwin Park and Dailey Park subdivisions . The Medbury ' s - Grove Lawn Subdivisions Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 . For his efforts in developing subdivisions with houses that were affordable to the working man , Hannan won the admiration of Detroit ' s laborers . In 1906 , the Michigan Federation of Labor wrote : " Perhaps no one individual has done more to enhance the growth of Detroit and promote the interests of wage - earners than William W . Hannan , the real estate hustler . . . . [ He ] is so well known that the name ' Hannan ' and ' real estate ' are synonymous . Mr . Hannan believes that the man who fails to buy a home for his family is cheating himself and losing a splendid opportunity of purchasing valuable lots in the city and suburbs at reasonable prices . " Hannan also became known as one of the leading builders of apartment buildings west of New York . The apartment hotels built and owned by Hannan included the Pasadena ( where he lived ) and the Madison - Lenox . Those three buildings were the largest and most modern apartment buildings in Detroit . In 2004 , the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the Madison - Lenox to its " 11 Most Endangered Historic Places " , a list of buildings and locations across the United States in danger of demolition or damage due to neglect . In May 2005 , the building was demolished by its owner Ilitch Holdings to make room for a parking lot . The Pasadena , an early example of upper - class , multi - unit housing , at 2170 East Jefferson Avenue , still exists and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 . In 1909 , Hannan served as the first president of the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges ( now National Association of Realtors ) . Hannan was also a member of the Detroit Board of Estimates and the Detroit Board of Commerce , one of the founders of the Detroit Athletic Club , a Scottish Rite Mason and " a staunch Republican . " Family and death . In 1881 , he married Luella Greene Beaman . Hannan had no children , and , in 1915 , his nephew Guy S . Greene assumed leadership of the Hannan Exchange . Hannan died in December 1918 . At the time of his death , Hannan ' s estate was estimated at more than $ 4 million . He left two - thirds of his estate to Detroit charities , including the Children ' s Aid Society .