Howard Ahmanson Jr.

Last updated

Howard F. Ahmanson Jr.
Howard PRimage.jpg
Ahmanson Jr. in 2016
Born (1950-02-03) February 3, 1950 (age 74)
Alma mater Occidental College (BA)
University of Texas at Arlington (MA)
Occupation(s)Heir, financier
Spouse
Roberta Green Ahmanson
(m. 1986)
ChildrenDavid Ahmanson
Parent(s) Howard F. Ahmanson Sr.
Dorothy Johnston Grannis
Relatives Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson (stepmother)
Robert H. Ahmanson (cousin)
William H. Ahmanson (cousin)

Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson Jr. (born February 3, 1950) is an American Christian activist. He is the son of Howard F. Ahmanson Sr., the founder of Home Savings Bank.

Contents

Biography

Ahmanson was born on February 3, 1950. He is the son of Dorothy Johnston Grannis and the American financier Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. (1906–1968). [1] He has Tourette syndrome. [2] [3] His father was a prominent businessman in the savings and loan industry; Howard Sr. founded H.F. Ahmanson & Co., which thrived in the Great Depression [4] and ultimately expanded throughout California [5] and into New York state, [6] Arizona [7] and Florida. [8] His father was well known for his support of the arts, an area in which Ahmanson Jr. has continued to be active. [9]

His parents divorced when he was ten years old. [1] Despite the trappings of wealth, Howard Jr. was a lonely child. He has said, "I resented my family background, [my father] could never be a role model, whether by habits or his lifestyle, it was never anything I wanted." [10] His father died when he was eighteen, and Ahmanson Jr. inherited his father's fortune. [11]

He attended Occidental College, where he obtained a degree in economics. [2] He then toured Europe, but returned because of complications with arthritis. [2] He earned a master's degree in linguistics at the University of Texas at Arlington. [2]

In 1986, Howard married journalist Roberta Green. [12]

Monetary contributions

Organizations and projects

Fieldstead and Company, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson's personal office, has a steady history of contributing parts of his father's inherited fortune to a plethora of organizations and initiatives. [11] It is stated that the mission of Fieldstead and Company is to "make the world more like ... a place where there is no darkness, no sickness, no hunger or thirst, no slavery, no prisoners, no tears, no death". [13] The following is a list of organizations to which the Ahmansons have contributed significant amounts in the past:

Association of orthodox Episcopal churches, led by Rev. Canon David Anderson. [14]
Roberta Ahmanson graduated from Calvin College in 1972. [14]
By way of Fieldstead & Company, Ahmanson Jr. sponsors series of conferences and events predominantly focused on matters such as housing policy and urbanism, all held at Chapman University’s Wilkinson College for Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. [15] [16] [17] [18]
Think tank seeking "to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life." [14] [19]
Howard Ahmanson Jr. served on the board of directors for the Center for Science and Culture , a proponent for the intelligent design movement. [14] [20]
Founders of a team that published 28 volumes of the "Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture." [14]
Think tank that view domestic and foreign policy issues from a Judeo-Christian point of view. [14]
Evangelical-based relief organization with annual budget of about $76 million and programs in 37 countries in the developing world. [14]
The contribution funds a museum in the town of Perry, Iowa, in which Roberta Ahmanson grew up. [14] [21]
Private school in Costa Mesa with about 650 students in preschool to eighth grade. [14]
A K-12 Classical Education public charter school. [24]
The Orange County Rescue Mission provides housing, support, and treatment, for people struggling with poverty and drug addiction. [25]
Similar to his programs at Chapman University, Ahmanson Jr. sponsors events and conferences on the topics of urbanism and affordable housing at Pepperdine's School of Public Policy. [26] [27]
Formerly "St. James Episcopal Church", the Ahmansons have attended the "evangelical church with charismatic roots." [14]
Evangelical Christian missionary group working in Central and Eastern Europe. [22] [28]
Ahmanson Jr. has made several contributions to Strong Towns, a think tank and community that encourages Americans and Canadians, alike, to rethink the way municipal infrastructure is developed and sustained in their respective communities. [29]
Fieldstead & Company has supported Voice of OC, a startup nonprofit newsroom founded by Norberto Santana, Jr. to cover events in Orange County. [30]

Howard has previously served as a board member for both the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation and the Claremont Institute. Ahmanson is a major supporter of the Discovery Institute, whose Center for Science and Culture supports ideas centered around intelligent design. [31] [32] Through Fieldstead, Ahmanson's wife Roberta, a former religion reporter and editor for the Orange County Register , [33] has funded and been directly involved with some programs of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, including the Washington Journalism Center that encompasses both the Summer Institute of Journalism, and the Fieldstead Journalism Lectures. [34] Fieldstead has funded other Christian journalistic projects such as Gegrapha [35] and GetReligion. A common thread in all of these organizations is Terry Mattingly, a personal friend of Roberta Ahmanson, who directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, teaches journalism, and writes a weekly column for the Scripps-Howard News Service. Roberta Ahmanson recently co-edited a book called Blind Spot. [36] [37] Howard and Roberta are also supporters of The Media Project, an organization that "educates journalists on the importance of religion" and its digital magazine, Religion Unplugged. [38] The Ahmansons have also supported the creation of the 29-volume Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, published by InterVarsity Press. [39]

Social advocacy and political involvement

Ahmanson was a major advocate for the abolition of California redevelopment agencies, especially concerned about what he viewed as the widespread abuse of eminent domain and public subsidies. He financed the publication "Redevelopment: The Unknown Government" and the formation of Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform (MORR), alongside Chris Norby, California legislator and former mayor of Fullerton, California, in 1995. [40] Norby later served in the California State Assembly when redevelopment agencies were abolished in 2011 and MORR was disbanded, having succeeded in its sole purpose. [41]

Ahmanson was a registered Republican until 2008; Ahmanson, worried about the narrowing focus of the California Republican Party on lowering taxes, announced that he switched parties and was a registered Democrat from 2008 to 2018. [42] Finding fault with both parties, he is now officially registered as a "No Party Preference" (NPP) voter (formerly referred to as a decline-to-state voter by the state of California). [43] [44] In the 2020 presidential election Ahmanson voted for and endorsed Brian Carroll of the American Solidarity Party. [45]

Time magazine included the Ahmansons in their 2005 profiles of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America, classifying them as "the financiers." [46] In the 1970s, Howard became a board member of the Chalcedon Foundation and served until 1996. In 1996, he said he had left the Chalcedon board due to the fact that he "did not embrace" all of the teachings held by its leadership. [47] [48]

In 2004, the Orange County Register wrote a five-part profile of the Ahmansons. [14]

Holding a strong interest and passion in the activity of standup paddleboarding, Ahmanson Jr. has assumed a role of activism alongside FreeSUP SoCal in opposition to a particular determination made by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) that has been used to require operators of standup paddleboards to wear a personal flotation device (PFD). FreeSUP SoCal maintains that a leash is the more common and frequently most effective safety equipment, as evidenced by its widespread usage and the sport's significantly diminished mortality rate compared to other water sports. In 2014, the organization that would come to be known as FreeSup SoCal and which receives funding by Ahmanson, offered a formal, public comment to the USCG that explained how the PFD determination which was intended to promote safety for standup paddleboarders sorely lacked data justifying the determination, and that making determinations without the necessary data could have the opposite effect of putting paddleboarders in peril. [49] [50] [51] [52]

Arts and humanities

Claude Monet "View of Vetheuil", Owned by Ahmanson before he donated to LACMA Claude Monet - View of Vetheuil - Google Art Project.jpg
Claude Monet "View of Vétheuil", Owned by Ahmanson before he donated to LACMA

Organizations

Howard has made numerous contributions and offered support for art initiatives across Los Angeles and Orange County. The following is a collection of organizations and projects in the arts & humanities that have benefited from the support of Howard Ahmanson, Jr.

Bridge Projects

Bridge Projects is an LA-based art gallery that consists of a community of artists, scholars, and collectors who are inspired by art history, spirituality, living religious traditions, and contemporary art practices. Roberta, wife of Ahmanson and current chair of Bridge Projects, founded the gallery and community with LA-based artist, Linnea Spransy, back in 2017. [53] While Howard played a supportive role in bringing this project to fruition, Roberta spearheaded the vision for Bridge Projects, which has featured a number of progressive art installations, such as:

Personal life

Ahmanson lives with Tourette syndrome. [64] His primary residence is in Newport Beach, CA. [65]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange County, California</span> County in California, United States

Orange County is a county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, and more populous than 19 American states and Washington, D.C. Although largely suburban, it is the second-most-densely-populated county in the state behind San Francisco County. The county's three most-populous cities are Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Irvine, each of which has a population exceeding 300,000. Santa Ana is also the county seat. Six cities in Orange County are on the Pacific coast: Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and San Clemente.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fullerton, California</span> City in California, United States

Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepperdine University</span> Christian university in Los Angeles County, California

Pepperdine University is a private Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California. Founded by entrepreneur George Pepperdine in South Los Angeles in 1937, the school expanded to Malibu in 1972. Courses are now taught at a main Malibu campus, three graduate campuses in Southern California, a center in Washington, D.C., and international campuses in Buenos Aires, Argentina; London, United Kingdom; Heidelberg, Germany; Florence, Italy; and Blonay – Saint-Légier, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute on Religion and Democracy</span> American think tank

The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) is an American Christian conservative think tank that promotes its views among mainline Protestant churches, as well as advocating for its values in the public square. Its critics claim that it has been instrumental in criticizing mainline Protestant denominations in the United States including the progressive United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for Science and Culture</span> Part of the Discovery Institute

The Center for Science and Culture (CSC), formerly known as the Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture (CRSC), is part of the Discovery Institute (DI), a conservative Christian think tank in the United States. The CSC lobbies for the inclusion of creationism in the form of intelligent design (ID) in public-school science curricula as an explanation for the origins of life and the universe while trying to cast doubt on the theory of evolution. These positions have been rejected by many in the scientific community, which identifies intelligent design as pseudoscientific neo-creationism, whereas the theory of evolution is the accepted scientific consensus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Argyros</span> United States Ambassador to Spain (born 1937)

George Leon Argyros is an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Spain. He is also a real estate investor and philanthropist. Argyros was the owner of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners from 1981 to 1989. He is the founder and CEO of property firm Arnel & Affiliates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapman University</span> Private university in Orange, California

Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its founding affiliations with the Christian Church and the United Church of Christ, but is a secular university.

Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson Sr. was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of an insurance and savings and loan association, H.F. Ahmanson & Co. He made his fortune during the Great Depression selling fire insurance for property under foreclosure. He also bought real estate and invested in oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. M. Keck Foundation</span> American charitable foundation

The W. M. Keck Foundation is an American charitable foundation supporting scientific, engineering, and medical research in the United States. It was founded in 1954 by William Myron Keck, founder and president of Superior Oil Company. The Foundation's net assets exceeded $1.3 billion at the end of 2019.

The Chalcedon Foundation is an American Christian Reconstructionist organization founded by Rousas John Rushdoony in 1965. Named for the Council of Chalcedon, it has also included theologians such as Gary North, who later founded his own organization, the Institute for Christian Economics.

Muzammil H. Siddiqi is an Indian-American Muslim writer who has been on the faculty of Chapman University.

H.F. Ahmanson & Co. was a California holding company named after Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. It was best known as the parent of Home Savings of America, once one of the largest savings and loan associations in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platinum Triangle, Anaheim</span> District in California, United States

The Platinum Triangle is a district of Anaheim, California, United States, that is undergoing transformation from a low-density commercial and industrial zone into a more urban environment with high-density housing, commercial office towers, and retail space. The 820 acres (330 ha) area undergoing this large-scale redevelopment includes the city's two major sports venues, the Honda Center and Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Steel</span> American politician (born 1955)

Michelle Eunjoo Steel is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 45th congressional district since 2023, previously representing the 48th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she concurrently served as a member of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise's Whip Team for the 117th Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Mattingly</span> American journalist and writer

Terry L. Mattingly is a journalist, author, and professor. As columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service, Mattingly has written "On Religion", a nationally syndicated column, since the summer of 1988. Mattingly also runs a well-known religious journalism blog, GetReligion.

OC Channel was an over-the-air, digital broadcast, television news network. The channel is broadcast on a digital sub channel of PBS member station KOCE in Huntington Beach, California. This service is no longer in operation as a secondary lineup of PBS programming is currently carried on channel 50.2, as of May 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Norby</span> American politician

Chris Norby is an American politician and educator. He served on the Fullerton City Council (1984–2002) including three years as mayor, on the Orange County Board of Supervisors (2003–2010), on the California State Assembly (2010–2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Solidarity Party</span> American political party

The American Solidarity Party (ASP) is a Christian democratic political party in the United States. It was founded in 2011 and officially incorporated in 2016. The party has a Solidarity National Committee (SNC) and has numerous active state and local chapters. Peter Sonski was the party's nominee in the 2024 United States presidential election.

Robert H. Ahmanson was an American businessman and philanthropist from Los Angeles, California. He was a corporate director of H.F. Ahmanson & Co. and served as the President of The Ahmanson Foundation from 1974 to 2007.

The OC Streetcar is a modern streetcar line currently under construction in Orange County, California, running through the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. The electric-powered streetcar will be operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), and will serve ten stops in each direction along its 4.15-mile (6.68 km) route.

References

  1. 1 2 Larsen, Peter. "Burden of Wealth" Orange County Register. August 8, 2004. See also, Eric John Abrahamson, Building Home: Howard F. Ahmanson and the Politics of the American Dream (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Blumenthal, Max (January 6, 2004). "Avenging angel of the religious right". Salon . Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  3. "Howard Ahmanson and Roberta Ahmanson Bio". Fieldstead & Company. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  4. "Howard F. Ahmanson, 61, Dies; One of Nation's Wealthiest Men: Led Home Savings & Loan in Los Angeles – Fortune Estimated at $300-Million" . The New York Times . June 18, 1968. p. 47. Alternate Link (subscription required) via ProQuest.
  5. Johnson, Greg (January 23, 1991). "Home Savings to Buy Coast's S.D. Branches". Los Angeles Times .
  6. "Home Savings in Acquisition Washington, Aug. 12". The New York Times . August 13, 1984.
  7. "H. F. Ahmanson agreed to buy an S&L in Arizona". Los Angeles Times . April 29, 1987.
  8. "Banking". Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel . February 12, 1997. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  9. Friedlander, Whitney (March 15, 2013). "WHO WAS HOWARD AHMANSON SR. AND HOW DID HE CHANGE L.A.? A NEW BOOK TRIES TO ANSWER". LA Weekly. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  10. Haas, Jane Glenn. "The Salvation of H.F. Ahmanson Jr." Orange County Register. 1985.
  11. 1 2 Doward, Jamie. Anti-gay millionaire bankrolls Caravaggio spectacular. The Observer. March 6, 2005.
  12. "About Howard". Howard Ahmanson Jr. Howard Ahmanson. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  13. "Giving". Fieldstead and Company. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Larsen, Peter (August 9, 2004). "Rich in Faith Part Two". OC Register.
  15. "The City of Bell Scandal Revisited". Chapman University Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Chapman University. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  16. "REIMAGINING LOCAL GOVERNMENT: STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY IN OUR COMMUNITIES". Chapman University Digital Commons. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  17. "4th Annual Local Government Conference: Will California Ever Figure Out How to House Itself?". Chapman University Wilkinson College. Chapman University. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  18. "The Future of Transportation: 5th Annual Public Policy Conference". Chapman University Wilkinson College. Chapman University. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  19. "Mission". Claremont Institution. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  20. "Board of Directors". Discovery Institute. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  21. "Fullhart Carnegie Charitable Trust". Hometown Heritage. Dallas County Foundation.
  22. 1 2 Larsen, Peter. "Giving generously to their causes". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on May 12, 2009.
  23. National Sexual Violence Resource Center
  24. "Homepage". Orange County Classical Academy. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  25. Scheller, Christine A. (January 19, 2011). "Connoisseur for Christ: Roberta Green Ahmanson". Christianity Today. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  26. Coghlan, Ed (March 28, 2019). "Clash between housing affordability, preserving neighborhoods in spotlight at Pepperdine". California Economic Summit. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  27. "A Home in California: Are Our Communities Sustainable?". Pepperdine School of Public Policy. Pepperdine University. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  28. "CityGate Homepage". CityGate. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  29. "Speakers for the Regional Gathering". Strong Towns. November 20, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  30. Santana Jr., Noberto (June 3, 2019). "Santana: Voice of OC is Ten Years Old Today". Voice of OC. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  31. "Discovery Institute-Board Members". Discovery Institute. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  32. Wilgoren, Jodi (August 21, 2005). "Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive". The New York Times . Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  33. "Howard & Roberta Ahmanson". Fieldstead & Company.
  34. Washington Journalism Center Archived June 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  35. Gegrapha
  36. Marshall, Paul A.; Gilbert, Lela; & Green-Ahmanson, Roberta (eds.). (2009). Blind spot: When journalists don’t get religion. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0195374371
  37. Buddenbaum, Judith M. (2010). "Blind Spot: When Journalists Don't get Religion". Journal of Media and Religion. 9: 47–51. doi:10.1080/15348420903536844. S2CID   143471762.
  38. "Staff & Board". The Media Project. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  39. 1 2 Levenick, Christopher (Spring 2012). "Ex Libris Philanthropy". Philanthropy. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  40. Norby, Chris; Curtis, Sherry; Gilson, Ruth; Heinl, Jean; Kaplan, Douglas; Shaffer, Dr. Ralph; Sutton, Christopher. "Sutton". Redevelopment: The Unknown Government. Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  41. Greenhut, Steven (March 23, 2009). "Howard Ahmanson Becomes Democrate". Orange County Register. OC Register. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  42. Ahmanson, Jr., Howard (July 4, 2018). "I Became a "Decline to State"". Howard Ahmanson Jr. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  43. Padilla, Alex. "No Party Preference Information". California Secretary of State. State of California. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  44. Ahmanson, Howard (October 27, 2020). "The American Conservative 2020 Presidential Symposium". The American Conservative. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  45. "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America". Time. Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  46. Reason, Nov. 1998 Archived May 31, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  47. Flank, Lenny (2007). Deception by Design: The Intelligent Design Movement in America. St. Petersburg, FL: Red and Black Publishers. p. 52. ISBN   978-0-9791813-0-6 . Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  48. Hoedt, Jeffrey. "Legal Determination on Vessel Status of Paddleboard" (PDF). United States Coast Guard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  49. Douglas, S. "PFD Laws – SUP or Paddleboards Now Classified as Vessels". World Padde Association. WPA. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  50. Azadian, James. "Comment in Response to Docket No. USCG-2010-0164, Department of Homeland Security" (PDF). Enterprise Counsel Group. ECG. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  51. "Who We Are - FreeSUP". FreeSUP. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  52. 1 2 "Bridge Projects". bridgeprojects.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  53. Richard, Paul. "STANLEY SPENCER'S GLOBAL VILLAGE". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  54. "STANLEY SPENCER: AN ENGLISH VISION". Smithsonian. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  55. "The Sacred Made Real". The National Gallery of London. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  56. Smith, Samuel. "New 'Visual Commentary on Scripture' website offers new way to study the Bible". The Christian Examiner. Christian Examiner. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  57. "Caravaggio: The Final Years at The National Gallery". Art Daily. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  58. 1 2 "Howard Ahmanson-Board Member". Discovery Institute. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  59. "Howard Ahmanson-Board Member". Discovery Institute. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  60. Molina, Alejandra. "In this art gallery, conversations about religion and spirituality are welcome". The Oakland Press. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  61. Elaine, James. "A Composite Leviathan". Bridge Projects.
  62. "To Bough and To Bend". Bridge Projects. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  63. Doward, J. Anti-gay millionaire bankrolls Caravaggio spectacular. The Observer. March 6, 2005.
  64. "Mega-mansion debuts in Newport Beach". Orange County Register. January 13, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2018.