John Kluge Jr.

Last updated

John Kluge Jr.
Born1983 (age 41–42)
NationalityAmerican
Education Columbia University (BA)
Babson College (MBA)
Alma mater Phillips Academy
Occupation(s)Investor, philanthropist, activist
Parent(s) John Kluge
Patricia Kluge

John W. Kluge Jr. [1] (born 1983) [2] is an American venture capitalist, philanthropist, and activist. [3]

Contents

Early life

Kluge is the son of the late billionaire John Kluge, founder of the media conglomerate Metromedia, and his wife, Patricia Kluge (née Patricia Maureen Rose), who adopted him in 1984 and raised him on their Charlottesville, Virginia estate, Albemarle House. [4] He graduated from Phillips Academy in 2001 and Columbia University in 2005. [5] [6] He also has an MBA from the F. W. Olin Graduate School of Business of Babson College. [7] [8]

Biography

After college, Kluge worked for several think tanks, including the anti-poverty think tank Rock and Wrap it Up, and the EastWest Institute, where he was made program coordinator for the institute's cybersecurity initiative. [9] [10]

Kluge founded Eirene, an angel investment firm that supports social causes and provides consulting services on cause marketing and analytic giving. [2] One of his investments is Fonderie 47, a social enterprise that recovers weapons from conflict zones and melts them down to produce luxury items such as watches and accessories. [11] In 2012, he co-founded Toilet Hackers, a social enterprise building sanitation projects in underdeveloped regions that lack adequate access to toilets. [12] He also launched the first worldwide "Toilet Hackathon," in partnership with the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to gather entrepreneurs worldwide to brainstorm for global sanitation problems. [3]

In 2018, he launched the Refugee Investment Network, a philanthropy that directs private capital to refugee entrepreneurs. It has secured more than $200 million in commitments as of 2018 and aims to mobilize at least $1 billion in investment by 2030. [13]

Kluge serves as a trustee of Babson College [14] and was a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies's task force on global forced migration that was formed in 2017. [15] He is the author of two books: Charity & Philanthropy for Dummies (2013) [16] and John Kluge: Stories (2015), published by Columbia University Press . [17]

Personal life

Kluge is married to Christine Mahoney, a professor of public policy and politics at the University of Virginia. [18] [19] The couple have co-founded the Alight Fund, an investment platform for refugee entrepreneurs. [20]

Kluge inherited his father's estate in Virginia, but it was sold to The Trump Organization who previously purchased his mother's adjacent vineyard and winery operations that became the Trump Winery. [21] [22] [23] In 2017, after President Donald Trump announced a tariff against Mexican products, Kluge raised $25,000 as a proposal for a flag-raising ceremony in front of the winery to celebrate Mexican-American partnership. [24] In 2021, he helped launch the "truth farm," a public art installation dedicated to conversations about immigration, next to the Trump family winery. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Virginia</span> Public university in Charlottesville, Virginia, US

The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his Academical Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original governing Board of Visitors included three U.S. presidents: Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, the latter as sitting president of the United States at the time of its foundation. As its first two rectors, Presidents Jefferson and Madison played key roles in the university's foundation, with Jefferson designing both the original courses of study and the university's architecture. Located within its historic 1,135-acre central campus, the university is composed of eight undergraduate and three professional schools: the School of Law, the Darden School of Business, and the School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlottesville, Virginia</span> Independent city in Virginia, United States

Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Charlotte. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 46,553. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Charlottesville with Albemarle County for statistical purposes, bringing its population to approximately 160,000. Charlottesville is the heart of the Charlottesville metropolitan area, which includes Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babson College</span> Business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts, US

Babson College is a private business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1919 by Roger W. Babson as an all-male business institute and became coeducational in 1970.

Olin College of Engineering, officially Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, is a private college focused on engineering and located in Needham, Massachusetts. Its endowment had been funded primarily by the defunct F. W. Olin Foundation. The college covers half of each admitted student's tuition through the Olin Scholarship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kluge</span> German-American businessman: owned Metromedia

John Werner Kluge was a German-American entrepreneur who became a television industry mogul in the United States. At one time he was the richest person in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Paul Jones Arena</span> University of Virginia basketball court

John Paul Jones Arena, or JPJ, is a multi-purpose arena owned by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since November 2006, it serves as the home to the Virginia Cavaliers men's and women's basketball teams, as well as for concerts and other events. With seating for 14,623 fans John Paul Jones Arena is the largest indoor arena in Virginia and the biggest Atlantic Coast Conference basketball arena located outside of large metropolitan areas. Sports Illustrated named John Paul Jones Arena the best new college basketball arena of the 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Newmark</span> American entrepreneur, Craigslist founder

Craig Alexander Newmark is an American internet entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as the founder of the classifieds website Craigslist. Before founding Craigslist, he worked as a computer programmer for IBM, Bank of America, and Charles Schwab. Newmark served as chief executive officer of Craigslist from its founding until 2000. He founded Craig Newmark Philanthropies in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McIntire School of Commerce</span> Undergraduate business school at the University of Virginia

The McIntire School of Commerce is the University of Virginia's undergraduate and graduate business school that specializes in Commerce, Global Commerce, Accounting, Management of Information Technology, and Business Analytics. It was founded in 1921 through a gift by Paul Goodloe McIntire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Virginia School of Law</span> Public law school in Charlottesville, Virginia

The University of Virginia School of Law is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Virginia Cavaliers baseball team represents the University of Virginia in NCAA Division I college baseball. Established in 1889, the team participates in the Coastal division of the Atlantic Coast Conference and plays its home games at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park. The team's head coach is Brian O'Connor. The team has reached the College World Series seven times, most recently in 2024, and won the national championship in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia wine</span> Wine originating from Virginia

Virginia wine refers to wine made primarily from grapes grown in the commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia has hot humid summers that can be challenging to viticulture, and only within the last twenty years has the industry developed beyond novelty status. By tonnage, Vitis vinifera varieties represents 75% of total production. French hybrid varieties account for nearly 20% of total wine grape production in the commonwealth, while American varietals make up only about 5% of the total. As of 2012, the top 5 varietals produced are Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Vidal blanc and Viognier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Virginia Belles</span> American all-female a cappella group

The Virginia Belles is the University of Virginia's oldest all-female a cappella group based in Charlottesville, Virginia. The group was established in 1977 by Katherine Mitchell as the female counterpart to the Virginia Gentlemen, the university's oldest a cappella group. Completely student-run, the Belles continue to perform an eclectic range of vocal music from oldies and classic rock to indie and R&B. They sing in and around Charlottesville, and up and down the East Coast and all across the U.S., and have received awards and honors from internationally acclaimed organizations such as the Contemporary A Cappella Society, Varsity Vocals, and the Recorded A Cappella Review Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Signer</span> American lawyer and author

Michael Signer is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Morgan Dana Harrington</span> Murder of American student

Morgan Dana Harrington was a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student who disappeared from the John Paul Jones Arena while attending a Metallica concert at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Robert Jospé is an American jazz drummer based in Charlottesville, Virginia. His parents were Belgian and had a love of music they passed on to him. Jospé is the band leader and drummer with the band Inner Rhythm, which received positive reviews in the Washington Post.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump Winery</span> American winery

Trump Winery is a winery on Trump Vineyard Estates in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the county of Albemarle. It is within both the Virginia and Monticello viticultural areas and is among the 23 wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail. The winery and vineyard were established by Patricia Kluge in 1999, later purchased by businessman Donald Trump in April 2011 and officially re-opened in October 2011. Since 2012, it has been owned and operated by Trump's son Eric, under the name Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC. The 227 acres (92 ha) of vinifera varieties makes it the largest vineyard in Virginia and the largest French vinifera on the East Coast. Trump Winery manufactures 36,000 cases of wine per year. It ranks behind two other Virginia wineries that produce at least 60,000 cases of wine per year. The current general manager of the winery, Kerry Hannon Woolard, was a supporter of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and appeared as a guest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention as well as other campaign events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fralin Museum of Art</span> Art museum in Virginia , United States

The Fralin Museum of Art is an art museum at the University of Virginia. Before 2012, it was known as the University of Virginia Art Museum. It occupies the historic Thomas H. Bayly Building on Rugby Road in Charlottesville, Virginia, a short distance from the Rotunda. The museum's permanent collection consists of nearly 14,000 works; African art, American Indian art, and European and American painting, photography, and works on paper are particularly well represented. The Fralin serves as a teaching museum for academic departments in the university, and serves the community at large with several outreach programs. Admission is free of charge and open to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the University of Virginia</span>

The history of the University of Virginia opens with its conception by Thomas Jefferson at the beginning of the early 19th century. The university was chartered in 1819, and classes commenced in 1825.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Rape on Campus</span> Retracted 2014 Rolling Stone article

"A Rape on Campus" is a retracted, defamatory Rolling Stone magazine article written by Sabrina Erdely and originally published on November 19, 2014, that describes a purported group sexual assault at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rolling Stone retracted the story in its entirety on April 5, 2015. The article claimed that UVA student Jackie Coakley had been taken to a party hosted by UVA's Phi Kappa Psi fraternity by a fellow student and led to a bedroom to be gang raped by several fraternity members as part of a fraternity initiation ritual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unite the Right rally</span> 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia

The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and far-right militias. Some groups chanted racist and antisemitic slogans and carried weapons, Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, the Valknut, Confederate battle flags, Deus vult crosses, flags, and other symbols of various past and present antisemitic and anti-Islamic groups. The organizers' stated goals included the unification of the American white nationalist movement and opposing the proposed removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee from Charlottesville's former Lee Park. The rally sparked a national debate over Confederate iconography, racial violence, and white supremacy. The event had hundreds of participants.

References

  1. ↑ "John W. Kluge Jr. '05 Meets with Kluge Scholars". Columbia College Today. 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "How This Heir Is Helping Turn Guns Into Jewlery [sic]". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Pfanner, Eric (April 18, 2013). "Competition Designed to Spread Basic Technologies". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  4. ↑ DeSanctis, Marcia (October 14, 2016). "The Strange Saga of Trump Winery". Town & Country. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Andover magazine: Spring 2014". Issuu. June 3, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  6. ↑ Tennant, Christopher (January 1, 2008). The Official Filthy Rich Handbook. Workman Publishing. p. 211. ISBN   978-0-7611-4703-9.
  7. ↑ "Speaker | Milken Institute". milkeninstitute.org. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  8. ↑ Schmitt, Jeff (May 7, 2017). "2017 Best MBAs: John Kluge, Babson College (F.W. Olin)". Poets&Quants. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Why Parents Must Be On Top of Their Kids' Online Escapades". HuffPost. April 21, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  10. ↑ Brunwasser, John (February 10, 2010). "How Syd Mendelbaum and Rock and Wrap It Up! Fight Hunger". Op Ed News. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  11. ↑ Olson, Nancy. "Peerless Fonderie 47 Pen Funds Destruction Of AK-47s". Forbes. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  12. ↑ "This "Philanthropunk" Heir Has a Big Goal: A Toilet in Every Home". Inside Philanthropy. May 14, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Media Titan's Son Paves Path to Profit for Refugee Entrepreneurs". Bloomberg.com. November 21, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Babson College Announces Presidential Search Process". www.babson.edu. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Confronting the Global Forced Migration Crisis" (PDF). Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  16. ↑ Jenkins, Kate. "John Kluge Talks 'Charity And Philanthropy For Dummies'". Forbes. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  17. ↑ "The Difference You Can Make - John Kluge: Stories". www.college.columbia.edu. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  18. ↑ Bragg, Michael (June 19, 2017). "Kluge, UVa professor part of unique effort to help refugees". The Daily Progress. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Christine Mahoney". Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy | University of Virginia. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Win-Win-Win: Professor's Plan Seeks to Benefit Refugees, Hosts – and Investors". UVA Today. June 22, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Donald Trump buys Patricia Kluge's mansion for bargain price of $6.5 million; now owns entire estate". The Washington Post. September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  22. ↑ Kashino, Marisa M. (October 5, 2015). "The Greatest, Most Amazing, Absolutely HUGE Story of How Donald Trump Took Over Virginia's Biggest Vineyard". Washingtonian. Washington Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  23. ↑ Fabrikant, Geraldine (April 7, 2017). "Patricia Kluge's Third Act Is Sparkly". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Local philanthropist proposes raising a "Bandera Monumental" on edge of Trump Winery". Charlottesville Tomorrow. June 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  25. ↑ "'Truth Farm' installation near Trump Winery hopes to spark broader conversations about immigration". Charlottesville Tomorrow. April 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.