Howard Ahmanson Jr.

Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson Jr. (born February 3, 1950) is an American philanthropist and writer whose public activities focus on deepening awareness and fostering better policy regarding issues of housing affordability, land use, and eminent domain. He is the son of Howard F. Ahmanson Sr., the founder of Home Savings Bank, a fortune in which Ahmanson Jr. is an heir. Ahmanson Jr. is a multi-millionaire and financier of many causes relating to culture, spirituality, humanities and politics.

Howard F. Ahmanson Jr.
Ahmanson Jr. in 2016
Born (1950-02-03) February 3, 1950
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materOccidental College (BA)
University of Texas at Arlington (MA)
OccupationPhilanthropist, financier
Spouse(s)
Roberta Green Ahmanson
(
m. after 1986)
ChildrenDavid Ahmanson
Parent(s)Howard F. Ahmanson Sr.
Dorothy Johnston Grannis
RelativesCaroline Leonetti Ahmanson (stepmother)
Robert H. Ahmanson (cousin)
William H. Ahmanson (cousin)

Biography

Early life

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] His father was a prominent businessman in the savings and loan industry; Ahmanson, Sr. founded H.F. Ahmanson & Co. that thrived in the Great Depression[2] and ultimately expanded throughout California[3] and into New York state,[4] Arizona[5] and Florida.[6] His father was well known for his support for the arts, an area in which the father and son share an interest.[7] Howard Sr. found great pride in having a son, since he saw the opportunity to extend his own empire and legacy. Howard Sr. pursued a close relationship with his son, Howard Jr., whom he referred to as "Steady". Howard Jr. was intellectually inclined. He was reading by age 3 and was quoted in a local newspaper about thermonuclear reactions at age 8.[8]

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."[9] His father died when his son was eighteen, and Ahmanson Jr. inherited the vast fortune built by his father.[10]

He attended Occidental College, where he obtained a degree in Economics.[11] He then toured Europe, but returned because of complications with arthritis.[11] He earned a master's degree in linguistics at the University of Texas at Arlington. Ahmanson's language fluency in Spanish, German and Japanese was a triumph over his Tourette syndrome.[11][12]

In 1986, Howard married journalist Roberta Green, who supports him in philanthropic endeavors and has a specific focus and concern for visual art.[13] She assumes a more hands-on role within those endeavors, namely Bridge Projects in Los Angeles.[14]

Philanthropy

Organizations and projects

Fieldstead and Company, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson's personal donor organization, has a steady history of making contributions to a plethora of organizations and initiatives.[15] 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".[16] The following is a list of organizations to which the Ahmansons have contributed significant amounts in the past:

→The contribution funds Perry, Iowa, a museum in the town in which Roberta Ahmanson grew up.[17][18]
→Founders of a team that published 28 volumes of the "Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture."[19]
→Think tank seeking "to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life"[20][21]
→(Formerly "St. James Episcopal Church", the Ahmansons have attended the "evangelical church with charismatic roots."[22]
→Roberta Ahmanson graduated from Calvin College in 1972.[23]
→Association of orthodox Episcopal churches, led by Rev. Canon David Anderson.[24]
→Evangelical-based relief organization with annual budget of about $76 million and programs in 37 countries in the developing world.[25]
→Private school in Costa Mesa with about 650 students in preschool to eighth grade.[26]
→Think tank that views domestic and foreign policy issues from a Judeo-Christian point of view.[27]
→Howard Ahmanson Jr. served on the board of directors for the Center for Science and Culture, a proponent for the "intelligent design" movement.[28][29]

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.[32][33] Through Fieldstead, Ahmanson's wife Roberta, a former religion reporter and editor for the Orange County Register,[34] 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.[35] Fieldstead has funded other Christian journalistic projects such as Gegrapha[36] and GetReligion. A common thread in all of these organizations is a personal friend of Roberta Ahmanson's: Terry Mattingly, 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.[37][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 property owners and tenants exploited in the abuses by California redevelopment agencies, especially concerned about the widespread use of eminent domain and public subsidies to private businesses. He financed the publication "Redevelopment: The Unknown Government" and the formation of Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform (MORR), along with college friend and Fullerton, California Mayor Chris Norby, in 1995.[40] Norby later served in the California State Assembly when, with Ahmanson's strong backing, redevelopment agencies were abolished in 2011 and MORR was disbanded, having succeeded in its sole purpose.[41]

Chris Norby was instrumental in Ahmanson's effort in redevelopment reform in the state of California.

Ahmanson has donated $1,395,000 through Fieldstead and Company[42][43] to support Proposition 8. In 2000, Howard had been a strong supporter of Proposition 22, a legal measure on marriages between a man and a woman to be seen as valid in the state of California.[44]

In late 2008, Ahmanson, worried about the narrowing focus of the California Republican Party on lowering taxes, announced that he switched parties and is now a registered Democrat.[45] Ahmanson had distanced himself from the Republican Party and organizations related to it, saying "The Republican Party is a white-ethnic party. And I don't want to be identified with that." He was dismayed with white Evangelical support for Trump, saying "Are you about Christ and the Gospel first, or is your church just a Sunday extension of your political team?"[46] By 2018, Howard was no longer strictly tied to a particular party and declared himself a Decline to State, similar to an Independent, in a personal blog post.[47]

Time magazine included the Ahmansons in their 2005 profiles of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America, classifying them as "the financiers."[48]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.[49][50]

In 2002, the Ahmansons admitted they had an image problem and let the Orange County Register do a five-part series on them in 2004 to give the public a more accurate view of their work and beliefs.[51]

Howard has contributed in numerous ways to different groups that exist to serve communities, better local schools and solving problems within the housing crisis.[52][53] The following is a list, not exhaustive, of entities that Ahmanson has made significant contributions to in the past:

Arts and humanities
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.

Howard's generosity has benefitted the arts community, namely the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, with his donation of View of Vétheuil, a work by the french Claude Monet, Scene of Judgement, by the italian Marco Zoppo, and works by Auguste Rodin.[64][65]

Bridge Projects

Bridge Projects is a Los Angeles 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.[66] While Howard played a supportive role in bringing this project to fruition, Roberta spearheaded the vision for Bridge Projects. Bridge Projects is home to a progressive art installation, "10 Columns" by prominent Southern California artist, Phillip K. Smith III.[67]

Personal life

Ahmanson lives with Tourette syndrome.[68] His primary residence is in Newport Beach, CA.[69]

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References
  1. 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. "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.
  3. Johnson, Greg (January 23, 1991). "Home Savings to Buy Coast's S.D. Branches". Los Angeles Times.
  4. "Home Savings in Acquisition Washington, Aug. 12". The New York Times. August 13, 1984.
  5. "H. F. Ahmanson agreed to buy an S&L in Arizona". Los Angeles Times. April 29, 1987.
  6. "Banking". Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. February 12, 1997.
  7. Friedlander, Whitney. "WHO WAS HOWARD AHMANSON SR. AND HOW DID HE CHANGE L.A.? A NEW BOOK TRIES TO ANSWER". LA Weekly. LA Weekly. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  8. Abrahamson, Eric John. Building home : Howard F. Ahmanson and the politics of the American dream. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520273757. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  9. Haas, Jane Glenn. "The Salvation of H.F. Ahmanson Jr." Orange County Register. 1985.
  10. Doward, Jamie. Anti-gay millionaire bankrolls Caravaggio spectacular. The Observer. March 6, 2005.
  11. Blumenthal, Max (January 6, 2004). "Avenging angel of the religious right". Salon (website). Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  12. "Who We Are" Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Fieldstead and Company website
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  30. National Sexual Violence Resource Center
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  33. Wilgoren, Jodi (August 21, 2005). "Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  34. "Engaging the Culture" Archived April 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine CCCU Advance (Spring 2004)
  35. Washington Journalism Center Archived June 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  36. Gegrapha
  37. 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
  38. Buddenbaum, Judith M. (2010). "Blind Spot: When Journalists Don't get Religion". Journal of Media and Religion. 9: 47–51. doi:10.1080/15348420903536844.
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  68. "Mega-mansion debuts in Newport Beach". Orange County Register. January 13, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
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