In all, she has disclosed that her share of these outside holdingswhich do not include Amway or the Magicare worth at least $335 million. "DeVos said she was thinking about the couple's interest in education and her husband Dick's love of flying. [24], He died at his home in Ada, Michigan on September 6, 2018, at the age of 92.[9][33]. In the 1990s, the Family Research Councils downtown Washington headquarters was built entirely thanks to the financial backing of Rich & Helen DeVos and Edgar & Elsa Prince, the parents of the DeVos daughter-in-law Betsy. The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. At the time, conservative Christians hadnt yet become a potent political force. She is the daughter of billionaire industrialist Edgar Prince, and sister of Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince.[11][12]. Betsy, the daughter of auto parts magnate Edgar Prince and sister of Blackwater founder Erik. Chicago, IL 60601 She and her husband worked for the successful passage of Michigan's first charter-school bill in 1993,[27] and for the unsuccessful effort in 2000 to amend Michigan's constitution to allow tax-credit scholarships or vouchers. [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). DeVos has received honorary doctorates from Grove City College, Central Michigan University and Northwood University, as well as distinguished alumni recognition from Northwood University. In the 2000s, the DeVos family bankrolled school-voucher campaigns and charter school efforts throughout the country. Elisabeth Dee DeVos (/dvs/ d-VOSS; ne Prince; born January 8, 1958) is an American politician, philanthropist, and former government official who served as the 11th United States secretary of education from 2017 to 2021. "I remember the offices being down there and people working down there." RDV Corporation, the family office set up by Richard Sr., handles the familys non-Amway or Magic activities from a discreet building in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. [28] Education-related philanthropy included the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Grand Valley State University,[29] the Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College[30] and the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Arts and Worship at Grand Rapids Christian Schools. Richard Marvin DeVos Jr. (born October 21, 1955) is an American businessman and author. They worked on an airplane charter business, a sailing venture and even tried to run a hamburger stand, before they were introduced to Nutrilite. "[22], In an interview given during the campaign, DeVos said: "It's all about jobs. "[188] In the series' fourteenth season, drag queen Jasmine Kennedie appeared as DeVos for the show's signature celebrity impersonation challenge, Snatch Game. [97], DeVos delivered her first extended policy address on March 29, 2017, at the Brookings Institution which included the topic of school choice which has been her main advocacy issue for more than 30 years. [27] Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called DeVos "the most ideological, anti-public education nominee" since the position became a cabinet position. Regarding the withdrawal of the department's team, former Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, "That's a waste of taxpayer money. When he left the position six years later, they had grown to 50 percent of annual sales. As of 2015, Richard DeVos net worth is US $6.2 billion. "[90], In April 2017, DeVos praised the president's nomination of Carlos G. Muiz as the department's general counsel. Doug was born in 1964 and is a businessman and President of Amway since 2002. In September 2010, the Spectrum Health Foundation presented DeVos with its Art of Giving Award at its annual celebration of philanthropy. By the late 1990s, the family was the largest single contributor of soft money to the Republican Party, Betsy DeVos wrote in a 1997 op-ed. [9] In 2014 he published his memoirs, titled Simply Rich. [10], DeVos was the owner of the NBA team Orlando Magic, having bought the team in 1991 for $85 million. Click below to see everything we have to offer. [27] The DeVoses were known in their philanthropy for contributing to education, health care, arts and historic causes like Mount Vernon, and conservative think tanks such as The Heritage Foundation and AEI. [104], On July 6, 2017, Democratic attorneys-general in 18 states and Washington, D.C., led by Massachusetts attorney-general Maura Healey, filed a federal lawsuit against DeVos for suspending the implementation of rules that were meant to protect students attending for-profit colleges. He made major donations to organizations like the Christian Freedom Foundation (which he chaired) and Third Century Publishers, which put out a guidebook instructing conservative Christians on how to win elections and help America become as it was when first foundeda Christian Republic. Then came the presidency of Gerald Ford, Grand Rapids longtime representative in Congress and a personal friend of DeVos. The Foundation supports strategic projects and initiatives that impact the community, empower individuals to reach their full potential, and catalyze change. He . But the makings of the movement were therethe sexual revolution, the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade ruling, the pornography wars, the white backlash to desegregation, the backlash to the womens lib movement, the rise of the silent majority.. Bush. While popular with the American public[44] as a way to prevent (perceived) unfair domination by the wealthy in politics, DeVos and many other conservatives argue it is an infringement on free speech. Suite 3200 [139], DeVos was listed for many years on IRS form Form 990s as the foundation's vice president (hitherto called the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation). ", The article also pointed out that "newspapers have divided their support along party lines, with the Detroit Free Press endorsing Granholm and The Grand Rapids Press siding with DeVos." Get the best business coverage in Chicago, from breaking news to razor-sharp analysis, in print and online. She has advocated for the Detroit charter school system[6][7] and she is a former member of the board of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. "[43], DeVos and his wife contributed money to help fund a $500,000, 18-month private study of Lake Macatawa pollution sources, according to a June 2011 article. DeVos served as an Honorary Pallbearer at Gerald R. Ford's State Funeral. That stake has made the DeVoses unbelievably rich. It sort of has to do with being poor by choice.). [129] She also received an honorary doctorate from the university. [83][84][85] [19], DeVos was a major donor to the U.S. Republican Party and to conservative causes, including Focus on the Family, and the American Enterprise Institute. [109] On July 12, 2020, she said "there's nothing in the data that suggests that kids being in school is in any way dangerous to them", an assertion that public health experts disputed. [146][148], In 2016, the Foundation reported $14.3million in donations to over 100 organizations including the X Prize Foundation, Mars Hill Bible Church, American Enterprise Institute. Still, they raked in money from at least 85 separate sources last year, according to an early draft of Betsys most recent financial disclosure obtained by Forbes. Clark asked if she would inform Indiana that it could not discriminate in that way if it accepted federal funding, and asked her how she would respond in the event a voucher school rejected black students but a state "said it was okay." DeVos was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Ethel Ruth (Dekker) and Simon Cornelius DeVos, who worked in the electrical business. "My family is the largest single contributor of soft money to the national Republican Party. 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. [110], On June 2, 2017, DeVos announced her support of President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement the prior day. Betsy & Dick Devos: "You help make . DeVos is known for her conservative political activism,[1] and particularly her support for school choice, school voucher programs, and charter schools. [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. She said in her letter to President Trump that the riots had overshadowed the accomplishments of his administration. January 31, 2023. DeVos Children - Dick DeVos, Daniel DeVos, Doug DeVos and Suzanne DeVos The couple had a total of four children, three sons and a daughter. Those twin comments led the RNC to oust DeVos in August 1982, though they did little to diminish his support for the party and conservative groups more broadly. In 2012, Forbes magazine listed him as the 60th wealthiest person in the United States, and the 205th . [28] He is a major backer of the America First Action PAC. 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. "I still remember when it was in the basement of our home when I was growing up," he later said. 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. [105][106], On September 12, 2018, DeVos lost the lawsuit brought by 19 states and the District of Columbia, which accused the Department of Education of improperly delaying implementation of regulations protecting student loan borrowers from predatory practices. In response to that defeat, DeVos started a PAC, the Great Lakes Education Project, which championed charter schools. Also Known As: Richard Marvin DeVos Sr. Died At Age: 92 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Helen Van Wesep (m. 1953) father: Simon Cornelius DeVos mother: Ethel Ruth DeVos children: Cheri, Dan, Dick, Doug Born Country: United States Billionaires CEOs Died on: September 6, 2018 place of death: Ada Township, Michigan, United States Notable Alumni: Calvin University Marshals Service said after a threat evaluation was conducted in February that DeVos would be given additional security, projecting a cost of $7.8million between February and September 2017. It is one of five non-profit organizations established and operated by the DeVos family; the others, all founded by siblings of Richard DeVos Jr., include the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation; the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation; Cheri DeVos' CDV5 Foundation; and the Douglas and Maria DeVos Foundation. 1-877-812-1590. They argued about the role of unions, with DeVos taking the position that "Workers and job creators, through hard work, ingenuity, sweat and risk-taking, literally made the strongest economy in the world and the greatest standard of living in historyThe greatest generationdid not just win a World War, they labored shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow workers to create and sustain value-added enterprises." DeVos, Richard M. Amway co-founder and Orlando Magic Senior Chairman Richard M. DeVos died September 6, 2018, at his home in Ada, Michigan. "Survivors, victims of a lack of due process, and campus administrators have all told me that the current approach does a disservice to everyone involved," said DeVos. [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. His father, Richard DeVos Sr., cofounded Amway in 1959 alongside his high school friend, Jay Van Andel. By the next two decades, the company had penetrated into markets of Japan, Latin America, Thailand, China, Africa, and India. [19], On June 2, 2005, at Mackinac Island, DeVos announced his candidacy for governor of Michigan. "[27], In October 2008, DeVos donated $200,000 to the PAC opposing Michigan State Proposal 08-2 (2008). [28] During college, DeVos was involved with campus politics, volunteered for Gerald Ford's presidential campaign, and attended the 1976 Republican National Convention to participate in a program for young Republicans. Sr., cofounded Amway in 1959 alongside his high school friend, Jay Van Andel donated $ 200,000 the. Letter to President Trump that the riots had overshadowed the accomplishments of administration. Of taxpayer money 2010, the DeVos family bankrolled school-voucher campaigns and charter school efforts throughout the country, Mackinac. 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