John A. Hinson, a resident of Key Biscayne, Florida, died in a single car crash on September 18, 2021.

Born in Whiteville, North Carolina on December 31, 1947, John Hinson led a truly remarkable life and reached the heights of American business. Son of LA and Maxine, Hinson grew up with his parents and 7 siblings in a small house in the rural community of Whiteville, near Wilmington, North Carolina.

During his high school years, Hinson was a member of the soccer team and displayed an extraordinary intelligence, focus and determination that would become his character traits later in life. After graduating in 1966, Hinson continued his education at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Hinson joined the Marine Corp and then attended US Naval Academy preparatory school.

After his training in Rhode Island, Hinson was deployed to Vietnam where he handled logistics and ordered fighter jets. Though reluctant to discuss his tour of Vietnam, Hinson readily acknowledged that his time in the military had helped him develop the discipline and sense of mission that would serve him so well later in life.

Returning from Vietnam in the mid-1970s, Hinson began to seek a career path and became interested in the real estate industry. Sensing that the city of Atlanta was about to grow dramatically, Hinson moved there to seek opportunities in the market. In Atlanta, Hinson began working with Jim Baker, who became one of his closest friends and business partners. Hinson and Baker were young real estate brokers who shared a single office in a small office in Atlanta. Learning the real estate industry from this humble foundation, Hinson went on to build a very successful business in Atlanta. For the many years that followed, Hinson and Baker remained close friends and business partners and spoke to each other almost every day.

Following a motorcycle accident which Hinson readily admits he was lucky to survive, Hinson retired in his 30s, bought a sailboat, and sailed the Caribbean for almost two years. Increasingly agitated, Hinson decided to re-enter the real estate industry and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Once again, sensing that South Florida was on the cusp of significant growth, Hinson began investing in properties and projects in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. After again establishing a very successful business and accumulating a considerable portfolio of properties, Hinson moved to Miami Beach and was a pioneer in the Miami South Beach area.

It was in Miami that Hinson created and developed one of his most successful real estate projects, The Ocean Club in Key Biscayne, Florida. Upon completing the Ocean Club Project, Hinson met and married his nineteen-year-old wife, Jeanine Sagebien Hinson. His closest friends Jim Baker and Harold Wright happily said at Jeanine and John’s wedding that “he got it right”. John completely agreed.

After the completion of The Ocean Club, Hinson remained involved in real estate and philanthropic endeavors, including accepting a leadership role with the Vizcayans, a charity dedicated to the protection and preservation of the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. , where John was co-chair of the Special Preservation Committee.

While he never bragged and rarely spoke about his past successes in business, Hinson told the most extraordinary stories about his experiences if he was simply asked. Hinson had a voracious appetite for learning and read several books on many topics each week. He was a caring, generous and respected man with many friends in the United States and around the world. Completely self-taught, Hinson loved his country, recognizing that the United States was perhaps the only country that offered him the opportunity to achieve such great success through his hard work, fierce determination and courage.

Hinson is survived by his wife Jeanine and 6 of his 7 siblings, in-laws and 19 nieces and nephews.

Donations can be made to the following charities close to John’s heart:

Miami Animal Friends Foundation:

2665 South Bayshore Drive

Suite 1200

Miami, Florida 33133

email: [email protected]

phone: (305) 854-2800

Click here to visit the organization online.

Interview with Dr Dobson’s family

Family discussion

540 Elkton Drive, Suite 201

Colorado Springs, CO 80907

phone: (877) 732-6825

Click here to visit the organization online.