Asked what she could do about that, she said, "Whatever can be done will be done, and it will be done swiftly and surely. President Ronald Reagan made DeVos finance chair of the Republican National Committee. It was your social activity. ADA, Mich. -- Billionaire Richard DeVos, whose family bought the Orlando Magic in 1991, has died. Regarding the withdrawal of the department's team, former Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, "That's a waste of taxpayer money. [24], DeVos was a long-time close friend of Gerald and Betty Ford, and was an honorary pallbearer at Gerald Ford's state funeral. [168] DeVos and her husband gave millions of dollars to the organization. By the next two decades, the company had penetrated into markets of Japan, Latin America, Thailand, China, Africa, and India. We just hung around the company. [42] Betsy DeVos's husband, Richard Marvin "Dick" DeVos Jr., is a multi-billionaire heir to the Amway fortune who ran Amway's parent company, Alticor, from 1993 to 2002. The latter reflects his feelings after successfully undergoing a heart transplant operation in the United Kingdom in 1997 after being turned down for a transplant in the United States because of his age and diabetes. Furthermore, we expect the Republican Party to use the money to promote these policies and, yes, to win elections. The article noted that DeVos was interested in job creation in what was "perhaps the least business-friendly state in the country." ADA, Mich. (AP) Billionaire Richard DeVos, co-founder of direct-selling giant Amway, owner of the Orlando Magic and father-in-law of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, died Thursday. Van Wesep and married Richard in the year 1953. He later paid to attend, but did not complete, the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School's Executive Study Programs. DeVos later acknowledged racism as an important factor in the history of historically black colleges. Username and password are case sensitive. 1959. She went to the Calvin College and graduated with a bachelors degree in Art. In the fall of 2010, DeVos opened the West Michigan Aviation Academy,[35] the nation's first aviation public charter high school. He and his Amway cofounder, Jay Van Andel, opened the Institute for Free Enterprise, a pro-capitalism advocacy group that worked to get free-market lesson plans taught in schools nationwide, and founded Citizens Choice, a short-lived answer to Ralph Naders Common Cause group. [122], In 2019, DeVos unsuccessfully attempted to cut federal funding for the Special Olympics from her department's budget, which she had also attempted to cut in her previous two annual budgets. DeVos was a member of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. My own particular thing has always been salesmanship, DeVos, who died in September at the age of 92, wrote in Believe!, his 1975 combination self-help book, ideological treatise and memoir. [3], Since 1982, DeVos has participated in the Michigan Republican Party. [1][2][3] He congratulated the re-elected Granholm via phone after the results were in. In the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Detroit had the lowest reading and mathematics scores "by far" over any city participating in the evaluation. Although Amway has come under scrutiny and criticism by several government organizations, the conglomerate recorded sales of $8.8 billion in 2018. This page was last edited on 15 December 2022, at 20:35. In the 2000s, the DeVos family bankrolled school-voucher campaigns and charter school efforts throughout the country. A team of computer scientists sifted through records of unusual Web traffic in search of answers", "West Michigan business leaders form Regional Air Alliance to bring cheaper fares, better connections to Grand Rapids airport", "Press Release Secretary Elaine L. Chao Names Newest FAA Management Advisory Council Members", "A Resort with Less Glitz and No Kiitsch", "DeVos family moves into new Lake Mac mansion", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dick_DeVos&oldid=1127632153, Member, Board of Trustees, Health Care Foundation; 19902010 (Chairman, 19942010), Member, Board of Directors, Michigan State Chamber of Commerce, 2010 present, Member, Board of Directors, The Stow Company of Michigan, Founder and Chairman, West Michigan Aviation Academy (a charter high school), 2010 present, Chairman, Board of Directors, RDV Corporation, Co-Chairman, Grand Action Committee, 1992present (Chairman, Grand Vision Committee, 19911992), Founder and Chairman, Regional Air Alliance of West Michigan, 2010present. He is married to Betsy DeVos and they have four children together, Ryan, Richard, Andrea and Elisabeth. In 1990, DeVos won election to the Michigan State Board of Education, and resigned two years into his eight-year term, citing his return to Amway as CEO as the reason. He is a businessman and a politician by profession. Its how he helped to give rise to the modern religious right movement, which he generously funded and proselytized on behalf of. [21], An article published on August 3, 2005, quoted DeVos as saying that the main issue for Michigan voters was the state's economy. We knew this was going to be an important part of our future, but also an opportunity." [159][160], The DeVoses provide an annual scholarship to students at Northwood University. [182][183], In February 2017, artist Glenn McCoy created a political cartoon called Trying to Trash Betsy DeVos, based on Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With. Doug was born in 1964 and is a businessman and President of Amway since 2002. Yes!" He had also received endorsements from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Michigan Farm Bureau.[26]. Allegations abound that Amway has made misleading or false statements about the vitamins it sells; examples of weight loss pills being made and marketed by Amways parent company bolster such claims. ", The legislators and Republican governor Rick Snyder "rapidly approved the legislation and delivered a body blow to the labor movement." E-mail oureditor Richard DeVos was one of the co-founders of multi-level marketing giant, Amway. [18], The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation has also given money to groups like the American Education Reform Council, Choices for Children, and Children First America, in addition to funding Christian schools in the West Michigan area. [100], In a May 2017 House of Representatives committee hearing, Rep. Katherine Clark, said an Indiana private school which takes publicly funded vouchers maintains it is entitled to deny admission to LGBTQ students or those coming from families with "homosexual or bisexual activity." [130], According to DeVos's 2018 financial disclosure form certified by the Office of Government Ethics on December 3, 2018,[131] she had not divested from twenty-four assets required under her signed ethics agreement[132] nearly 22 months after being confirmed in February 2017. [30] She has been a member and elder of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids. Believing that every individual deserves the opportunity to succeed, we intentionally partner with programs and initiatives that increase access to economic mobility and build healthy places for people to live, work, learn, and play. In response to that defeat, DeVos started a PAC, the Great Lakes Education Project, which championed charter schools. Family tree of Richard DEVOS. Republicans scheduled Sessions's confirmation vote after DeVos's so that he would be able to cast his vote in support of DeVos. DeVos and his wife have four children: Richard Marvin (Rick) III, Elisabeth (Elissa), Andrea, and Ryan, and eight grandchildren. Learn More. [4][5] In an interview that year, she also said that "changing the way we approach the system of education in the country really may have greater Kingdom gain in the long run". [59], Former presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney respectively called DeVos an "outstanding pick" and a "smart choice". [110], On June 2, 2017, DeVos announced her support of President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement the prior day. [95], In February 2017, DeVos released a statement calling historically black colleges "real pioneers when it comes to school choice", causing controversy as some pointed out the schools originated after segregation laws prevented African-Americans from attending others. [4] He was educated at Grand Rapids Christian School,[5] and at Calvin College, and was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. They also own three houses in Windsor, Florida, a development at the northern end of Vero Beach, 80 miles north of Palm Beach. The love and guidance provided by his parent's has permeated his marriage of more than 60 years. Born on March 04, 1926 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA , United States (96 years) Born on March 04 36. [185], DeVos has been played by Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night Live multiple times, including satirizing DeVos's 60 Minutes interview in March 2018. The 13,000-square-foot home is being built for a total of at least $12.7 million, Crain's reported in March 2016, combining the land cost of $2.75 million and the value stated on the construction permits: $9.98 million. [163], DeVos in 2001 listed education activism and reform efforts as a means to "advance God's Kingdom". She currently is the Vice President of Corporate Affairs and an ex-Policy Board Member of Amway Corporation. It offers "practical training to arts managers and board members on stages of professional development in the United States and around the world"; its centerpiece is the "Capacity Building programs, which offer technical assistance to arts managers and their boards through seminars, web chats, and on-site consultations." DeVos cited Indiana (which has the U.S.'s largest school voucher program) as a potential model for a nationwide policy, but did not give specific proposals. Add it all up and Betsy and her husbands slice of the family fortune totals about $2 billion, though its hard to tell how much, if any, of that wealth has already been transferred to their four children and eight grandchildren. "Now I simply concede the point. [142][146][147][149][150], With respect to educational-focused donations, the foundation from 1999 to 2014 supported private Christian schools (at least $8.6million), charter schools ($5.2million), and public schools ($59,750). "[27], In October 2008, DeVos donated $200,000 to the PAC opposing Michigan State Proposal 08-2 (2008). Publishers Weekly described it as follows: "Drawing on inspirational anecdotes taken from a cross section of the population, he describes how people have bettered themselves both morally and in their careers by practicing such values as honesty, compassion, self-discipline, initiative, hard work, charity and forgiveness. [14], DeVos asked Orange County, Florida, to help pay for the Orlando Magic's new arena using county funds and Dema Stobell's Corporation money. The house, clad in a white-veined black stone, has neo-classical neighbors. [133], In May 2019, the Education Department inspector general released a report concluding that DeVos had used personal email accounts to conduct government business and that she did not properly preserve these emails. Richard DeVos was listed by Forbes in 2016 as having a net worth of $5.1billion, making him America's 88th wealthiest individual. It meant a country where the only limit to what one could achieve was how hard one worked (I think being poor is something many people do, he said in a 1966 speech. Dick DeVos has spent his business career working in a variety of executive positions at Amway, the NBA's Orlando Magic, and The Windquest Group where he currently serves as its President. The Windquest Group is a privately held investment management firm with holdings in technology, manufacturing, and other sectors. DeVos ran for governor of Michigan in 2006, but lost to Democrat Jennifer Granholm. His grandparents were Dutch immigrants. [165] According to The New York Times, it "is hard to find anyone more passionate about the idea of steering public dollars away from traditional public schools than Betsy DeVos". She has served as chair of the board of the Alliance for School Choice and the Acton Institute and headed the All Children Matter PAC. Sometimes, the companys products and DeVos pitches had the whiff of snake oil. In 1991, he "convened a group of more than 50 community and civic leaders to begin the process of revitalizing downtown" under the name of Grand Vision, later Grand Action. This includes various donations of scholarships, buildings and uncountable financial donations. But for more than two years, the extent of her finances has been a mystery. Richard M. DeVos, Sr. is an American business magnate and best known as the co-founder of Amway along with Jay Van Andel. "[180] Also defending DeVos's record in Michigan, Jay P. Greene, professor of education policy at the University of Arkansas, argued that Harris's The New York Times article misled readers on the evidence and "falsely claimed that Detroit has failed to close failing charter schools", noting that Detroit has closed more charters than Louisiana, a state Harris cites as a model for charter school legislation. An unrelenting optimist, DeVos is convinced that people can solve most of their problems by taking personal responsibility." DeVos and his wife became co-chairs of the Education Freedom Fund in 1993. The Griffins are a part of American Hockey League now and are owned by Richards son Dan. . Assuming they also own 25% of the familys second-largest asset, the Orlando Magic basketball team, thats another $300 million or so. "[1], She also wrote (in Roll Call) that she expected results from her political contributions. He died in September 2018. He is an Honorary Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. After retiring from Alticor, DeVos returned to become president of The Windquest Group. [62], DeVos served as chairwoman of the board of Alliance for School Choice. Richard DeVos parents were poor immigrants from the Netherlands. He was 92-years old at the time. They bought Gurwitch Products, a cosmetics and skincare manufacturer & marketer from Neiman Marcus in 2006 and owned it till 2016. [141][142] The foundation's giving, according to its website, is motivated by faith, and "is centered in cultivating leadership, accelerating transformation and leveraging support in five areas", namely education, community, arts, justice, and leadership. [96], On March 24, 2017, during a visit to the Osceola County campus of Valencia College, DeVos said she was considering the extension of federal financial aid for students that were year-round and interested in placing more focus on community colleges. Suite 3200 [76] More than 300 state lawmakers from across the U.S., overwhelmingly Democrats, voiced their opposition to DeVos's appointment in a letter to the U.S. Senate sent the day before a scheduled vote on her nomination. [58], On November 23, 2016, Trump's transition team announced DeVos as the nominee to be the next secretary of education. The team is now worth nearly $1.2 billion net of debt. That is going to be a big job to weave aviation throughout the entire basic curriculum. He spent the last decade of his life trying unsuccessfully to rejoin it with the Reformed Church in America, from which it had split in 1857, dividing his grandparents. [123], DeVos has been a controversial figure throughout her tenure. [194][195][196], Betsy DeVos's brother, Erik Prince, a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, is the founder of Blackwater USA, a private military services contractor.[23][197][198]. DeVos supported the candidacies of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. This is a BETA experience. Dick and Betsy were early investors in home goods retailer At Home and own as much as $5 million worth of stock in Elon Musks privately held SpaceX. According to one source, "When Dick DeVos became vice president of Amway's foreign operation in 1986, sales outside of the U.S. accounted for about 5 percent of overall sales. Bill Ballenger, editor of the newsletter Inside Michigan Politics and a former Republican state senator, called DeVos "a good behind-the-scenes organizer and a good fund raiser" as well as "a true believer in core Republican issues that leave nobody in doubt on where she stands". [92] Botel, a registered Democrat who supported President Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement, founded the KIPP Ujima Village Academy in Baltimore, after working for Teach For America. He along with his wife, created a foundation for philanthropic causes and they donated heavily to the US Republican partys conservative causes as well. He was an honorary trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. They worked on an airplane charter business, a sailing venture and even tried to run a hamburger stand, before they were introduced to Nutrilite. Apart from being a successful entrepreneur, he has authored a total of three books: Compassionate Capitalism, Hope from My Heart: Ten Lessons for Life and Believe! [47], DeVos and her husband were producers for a Broadway run of the stage play Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson, in 2012, based on the life of the famous evangelist and featuring a book and lyrics written by Kathie Lee Gifford. Dick DeVos is President of the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, a Grand Rapids-area foundation that has donated millions of dollars to civic, artistic, religious, educational, community and free-market economic organizations since 1990. That stake has made the DeVoses unbelievably rich. Another entity, Windquest Group, manages Dick and Betsys personal investments from a few blocks away. 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