US election: Donald Trump's journey a tale of wealth, hard work and controversy.

Street-smart, brash, and cocky, Donald Trump epitomises the image of New York’s super-rich, and yet has come within touching distance of the Oval Office by convincing people who feel downtrodden and disenfranchised that he is their saviour.

The property tycoon was born in New York City and grew up in a wealthy enclave of Queens, which stands in stark contrast to the rest of the diverse borough.

His father was a successful property developer who was seen leaving for work each day in a chauffeured blue Cadillac limousine.

His mother was a Scottish immigrant who arrived in New York by steamboat, and decades later was to be found on cruises in the Bahamas.

At school he was a troublemaker, so his parents sent him to a military academy. From there he went on to college and joined his father’s business.

Mr Trump has not said much about his early years, but his first wife Ivana offered his biographer some insight into his upbringing.

“He’s a little boy who didn’t get enough attention and has been seeking attention ever since,” she said.

One of his first solo business ventures bears testament to this.

It was not property-related, but was instead a foray into show business. As a 23-year-old, Mr Trump took a 50 per cent stake in a Broadway production to learn how the theatre industry worked.

The show was a flop, but his desire to have his name in lights had not dimmed.

He returned to property development, and in 1971 took control of his father's company, immediately renaming it The Trump Organisation.

Trump takes cues from colourful lawyer

Mr Trump says his father is the person he learned most from, but there was also Roy Cohn.

He was feared lawyer who, before he counselled Mr Trump, had been Joe McCarthy's most trusted advisor as he vilified and disgraced suspected communists.

The pair met at a nightclub and hit it off discussing a tricky legal matter. The Trumps' lawyers were urging them to settle a case brought by the Justice Department in which they were accused of refusing to rent to black tenants.

Mr Cohn advised them not only to fight it in court, but also to countersue.

Thus Mr Trump learnt a battle technique he would practice and perfect over the years: If someone hits you, hit them back 10 times harder.

In the end they did settle, but admitted no wrongdoing.

Mr Trump was already emblazoning the Trump name on all his properties. Mr Cohn taught him the importance of also keeping his name in the papers.

He was also known to tip off reporters to stories about himself, long before Mr Trump posed as his own spokesman when briefing the press.

Then there is the indelible print Mr Cohn left on Trump's rhetorical style. The lawyer was known for his bravado, and is said to have had a flare for saying things loudly and aggressively so that they sounded true.

Mr Trump built a public persona as a playboy and a show-off, but he has also raised a close-knit family. Three of his children have dedicated themselves to his businesses, and are often see by his side at events.

His only child from his second marriage is seen less often in public, but Tiffany Trump turned up to back her dad at this year's Republican National Convention.

Mr Trump admits he works too much to spend much time with his children, even his nine-year-old son Barron, who he raises with his current wife Melania in their Manhattan penthouse in Trump Tower.

Apprentice turns fortunes around

Although nobody could doubt Mr Trump's work ethic, the product of that hard work is a source of constant debate.

His business dealings are opaque, but it is clear that after his success redeveloping a site at Grand Central Station in the late 1970s he went on a buying spree, snapping up locations across Manhattan and expanding into casinos throughout the 1980s.

It wasn't long before his casino businesses ran into trouble and threatened to derail the whole structure.

The organisation's debt mounted, and four Trump companies declared bankruptcy between 1990 and 1992, putting his personal wealth at risk.

"He was essentially a byline in jokes for most of the 1990s until The Apprentice came along," said Timothy O'Brien, Mr Trump's biographer.

He dug himself out of debt by selling a slew of assets, and learnt a crucial lesson about using bankruptcy laws to insulate himself from financial trouble.

As property values in Manhattan rose, he regained financial stability. When his reality TV show took off in 2004 he was back in business, setting up hundreds of ventures that capitalised on growing recognition of the Trump name.

Controversy surrounds presidential campaign

Mr Trump has made much of his record as a businessman during his campaign for president, but his critics have noted a patchier picture.

His companies are accused of underpaying staff, failing to pay contractors, and tying up small businesses in costly legal disputes. He has also been called a fraud for selling worthless courses at Trump University.

Even the value of the Trump brand has been called into question, especially since the divisive election campaign.

After his comments about Mexican immigrants

Mr Trump has defied predictions before, however, most notably by those who said he didn't have a hope of winning the Republican nomination.

The businessman's railing against the Washington establishment has mined a rich vein of discontent among blue-collar Americans, who could support future ventures such as a new media platform he is rumoured to be considering.

Whatever the election result, after 17 months of campaigning for the Oval Office, Mr Trump's next move is bound to be made in the glare of the world's attention.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.