Jeffrey Epstein spent the 1990s transforming one patron's fortune into a platform of political reach and high-society credibility. Powered by full power-of-attorney over Leslie Wexner's assets, partnered socially with Ghislaine Maxwell, and shepherded repeatedly into the Clinton White House, he fused finance, philanthropy, and intelligence-linked logistics projects into a single, fast-moving enterprise.123
The record below draws only on documented financial filings, visitor logs, contemporary journalism, and court material.
Timeline
Wexner Financial Control (1990 – 1993)
In July 1991 Wexner executed a three-page power-of-attorney giving Epstein unfettered authority to "hire, fire, borrow, sue, and pledge" on his behalf, an arrangement Business Insider reconstructed from the filing and corroborated with Bloomberg archives.12
By 1992 Epstein was managing The New Albany Company, receiving a 23-room estate on the project grounds and later the Manhattan Straus townhouse — both transferred without public consideration.6
Maxwell Alliance & Social Ascent (1991 – 1995)
Maxwell surfaced in New York weeks after her father's death in late 1991 and immediately became Epstein's "chief of staff," introducing him across Palm Beach, Manhattan, and Europe. Their first public appearance as a pair — the Plaza Hotel tribute to Robert Maxwell — put her in charge of Epstein's houses, staff, and guest lists.1
She cultivated America's political dynasties, attending Andrew Cuomo and Kerry Kennedy's 1990 wedding and later socializing with John F. Kennedy Jr. at private family events.4
Penetration of the Clinton White House (1993 – 1996)
Visitor logs obtained by the Daily Beast show 17 separate days of entry between February 1993 and January 1995, with several days hosting two visits.3
A Snopes-verified photograph places Epstein and Maxwell with President Clinton in the Blue Room on 29 September 1993 during a donor reception for the White House Restoration Project — access that began after a $10,000 gift to the White House Historical Association that spring.5
Most West Wing clearances were arranged by Mark Middleton, then special assistant to Chief-of-Staff Mack McLarty — Middleton's subsequent barring from the complex in 1996 underscores the unusual latitude afforded earlier.10
Intelligence-Linked Logistics & Real Estate (1993 – 1995)
Acting for Wexner's retail empire, Epstein brokered the relocation of Southern Air Transport (SAT) — a CIA-tied Iran-Contra carrier — from Miami to Rickenbacker Field, Columbus, promising it bulk cargo from The Limited.6
The move folded a covert-services airline into the supply chain of a Fortune-500 retailer, with Iran-Contra figures Alan Fiers Jr. and Richard Secord lobbying Ohio officials to seal the deal.6
Philanthropy, Academia & Tech Networking (1991 – 1999)
Epstein assumed his patron's seat on the Wexner Foundation board in 1992, gaining stewardship of a flagship Jewish-leadership charity and its ties to Israel's security establishment.2
The Harvard Hillel Rosovsky Hall project began with a joint Epstein-Wexner pledge in 1991 — Harvard records confirm Epstein "facilitated" the lead $2 million, cementing entrée to Larry Summers, Henry Rosovsky, and the university's future President.7
In tech circles, Epstein bankrolled literary agent John Brockman's "Billionaires' Dinner," keeping the Edge Foundation on retainer so he could mingle with Nathan Myhrvold and other CTO-level figures — an arrangement multiple Guardian and Wired investigations traced directly to his checks.89
Epstein purchased his first island, Little St. James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 1998 for $7.95 million.
Donald Trump's contemporaneous profile of Epstein — "He likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side" — ran in New York magazine's 2002 feature, indicating Epstein's social proof at Mar-a-Lago years before their 2007 rupture.11
Evidence Weighting & Gaps
Epstein's 1990s rise is documented in legal filings, visitor logs, logistics deals and university records. Wexner's power-of-attorney financed the hardware — Maxwell supplied the social pipeline — and donor status opened the West Wing — together giving Epstein unmatched leverage well before his crimes became public.