DeVos and his wife became co-chairs of the Education Freedom Fund in 1993. Family tree of Richard DEVOS. [82] As expected, there was a 5050 tie on the final vote, with all Democrats and independents, along with two Republicans (Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski), voting in opposition to DeVos, while the other fifty Republican senators voted in support of the confirmation, including Senator Jeff Sessions, who himself had been nominated by the Trump administration for the post of United States attorney general. 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. [3], Since 1982, DeVos has participated in the Michigan Republican Party. He was educated at Calvin College and is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. By the 1970s, DeVos company had grown to a point that he could put real resources behind his beliefs. I hear it from business people everywhere I go in this state. [64], The confirmation hearing for DeVos was initially scheduled for January 10, 2017, but was delayed for one week after the Office of Government Ethics requested more time to review her financial disclosures. The Fund provides private scholarships to low-income families in Michigan with wishes to attend schools of their choice. Rich and Helen DeVos built a legacy of giving, and this prioritydriven by faith and compassionis reflected in the lives and mission of their family. [24], He died at his home in Ada, Michigan on September 6, 2018, at the age of 92.[9][33]. "[7], DeVos received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northwood University. Family tree . [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]. The DeVos family is one of Michigan's wealthiest. [143] In 2015, the DeVos Foundation made $11.6million in charitable contributions, bringing the couple's lifetime charitable giving to $139million. Dick was born on 21 October, 1955. [86] He cast his tie-breaking vote in favor of DeVos to officially confirm her as education secretary. The Windquest Group is a privately held investment management firm with holdings in technology, manufacturing, and other sectors. They bought the manufacturing and distribution rights for Frisk, an organic cleaner, developed by an Ohio scientist and renamed it as Liquid Organic Cleaner or LOC. The academy is located on the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Guest answered yes, calling DeVos "a business and political specialist experienced far beyond his 35 years on this globe" and noting that he had "recently attracted more than a million votes, more than any other Republican on a statewide basis, to win a seat on Michigan's Board of Education." Among its grantees are Kids Hope USA; the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital; the West Michigan Aviation Academy; the Regional Air Alliance of West Michigan; Mars Hill Bible Church; Potter's House; Grand Rapids Christian Schools; the Thunderbird School of Global Management; Willow Creek Association; ArtPrize Grand Rapids; the Education Freedom Fund; the Hugh Michael Beahan Foundation; Children First America; Florida P.R.I.D.E; New Urban Living; Rehoboth Christian School; Calvin College; Princeton University; Davenport University; Grove City College; Hope College; Little Star Inc.;[34] the American Education Reform Council; and Choices for Children. [19], On June 2, 2005, at Mackinac Island, DeVos announced his candidacy for governor of Michigan. 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. [51][54][55] In November 2019, Truth In Advertising filed complaints[56] against Neurocore with the Food and Drug Administration for unapproved medical devices[57] and the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive marketing. In 1991 Richard DeVos shelled out $85 million to buy the NBA's Orlando Magic. ", 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." Or would you say the state has the flexibility?" DeVos was a member of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. I'm not a control-oriented individual, but I expect results and I expect meticulous, detailed management."[14]. Had his confirmation vote been earlier than hers, he would have been forced to resign from the Senate, therefore losing a vital vote for the Republicans on the confirmation. "[27], In October 2008, DeVos donated $200,000 to the PAC opposing Michigan State Proposal 08-2 (2008). In response to that defeat, DeVos started a PAC, the Great Lakes Education Project, which championed charter schools. The DeVos children include Andrea DeVos . He later paid to attend, but did not complete, the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School's Executive Study Programs. On October 21, 2005, it was announced that DeVos would become part owner as his father split ownership evenly between his children. In 2000, DeVos oversaw a significant corporate restructuring that created Alticor, the new parent company of predecessor Amway, as well as other subsidiary companies. [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 status quo in ed is not acceptable. "[22] Her resignation took effect on January 8, 2021, twelve days before her term would have ended with the inauguration of Joe Biden as president. The article noted that DeVos was interested in job creation in what was "perhaps the least business-friendly state in the country." 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. The stone-clad home in the center of the photo is being built on Superior Street. Books written by him include Compassionate Capitalism and Hope From My Heart: Ten Lessons For Life. We've made a commitment to do that. In 2006, DeVos ran for Governor of Michigan, but lost to the then-incumbent Democrat Jennifer Granholm. Sway in State Contests", "U.S. Panel on AIDS, Citing Challenges, Ousts Staff Chief", "At 83, Amway co-founder Richard DeVos prepares company's third generation, addresses church, gay-marriage concerns", How MLive analyzed DeVos family's $90.9 million in annual donations, "M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation", Richard DeVos Philanthropic Impact Reflected by Hope Campus, Sport Business About the DeVos Foundation, "Amway co-founder Richard DeVos dies at 92", Majority team owners in the National Basketball Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_DeVos&oldid=1135078359, Businesspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Women's National Basketball Association executives, American members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 January 2023, at 14:21. DeVos responded: "I believe states should continue to have flexibility in putting together programs "[101], CBS reporter Lesley Stahl questioned DeVos, in a March 2018 60 Minutes interview, about the documented failure of the DeVos programs to demonstrate a positive result, in Michigan, her home state: "Your argument that if you take funds away that the schools will get better is not working in Michigan where you had a huge impact and influence over the direction of the school system." In a 20-month span, Alticor cut over 1,300 jobs (primarily in Michigan) during this restructuring, with 400 of them being buyouts and early retirement. Richard DeVos was listed by Forbes in 2016 as having a net worth of $5.1billion, making him America's 88th wealthiest individual. [163], DeVos in 2001 listed education activism and reform efforts as a means to "advance God's Kingdom". Under Dick Devos, the firm expanded operations to more than 50 countries and territories on six continents. "[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. would not be surprised if there are also those that would try to subvert the mission of this organization and this department," she stated. Betsy & Dick Devos: "You help make . "[4], In a talk given in Washington, D.C., in January 2013, under the auspices of the Heritage Foundation, DeVos discussed the passage of so-called "Right to Work" legislation in Michigan. [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. 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 2000, DeVos was the co-chairman of the "Kids First! 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. 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. While lacking Granholm's "flashier qualities," DeVos's "business backgroundideally suits him to address the state's most vexing economic issues." [37] DeVos resigned the position in 2000. Douglas N. Harris, professor of economics at Tulane University, wrote in a 2016 The New York Times op-ed that DeVos was partly responsible for "what even charter advocates acknowledge is the biggest school reform disaster in the country". The initiative lost, with 69% of voters opposing the measure. [28] He is a major backer of the America First Action PAC. "[23], Thomas Bray of RealClearPolitics reported on June 21, 2006, that incumbent Jennifer Granholm was "in deep trouble," with DeVos surging "to a 4840 leadin a Detroit News/WXYZ-TV poll." The show ran for three weeks, closing in December 2012[48] after receiving negative reviews. This was the first time in U.S. history that a Cabinet nominee's confirmation was decided by the vice president's tiebreaking vote.[19][20][21]. There wasnt yet a major concerted effort to enlist religious conservatives into politics. Its how the DeVos family climbed from the working-class Dutch neighborhoods of Grand Rapids to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in American life, with the current secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, among its members. [55] In addition, they have a vacation home in Holland, Michigan, on the shore of Lake Macatawa. Scarlet Envy depicted DeVos as "silly" and "martini-swilling. During the Great Depression, he sold freshly farmed vegetables door to door in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Betsy, the daughter of auto parts magnate Edgar Prince and sister of Blackwater founder Erik Prince, owes the vast majority of her fortune to her marriage to Dick DeVos. 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. Throughout his life, DeVos maintained that what Amway offered was not the guarantee of a quick buck, but an opportunity to realize the American dream through hard work. He was 92. The article noted that debates between DeVos and Granholm had "done little to help either's cause, though they did have an effect on the polls," with support for both candidates dropping and the number of undecided voters increasing. "DeVos said she was thinking about the couple's interest in education and her husband Dick's love of flying. LINCOLN Much of the $710,000 that a national school choice group sent to Nebraska to spend on legislative races in 2022 came from the family of former President Donald Trump's Education secretary and the owner of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns. "[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. She has stated that education is "a closed system, a closed industry, a closed market. Is there any situation? Windquest was not interested in "glitzy and glamorous" ideas, he said, but in "technologies that were environmentally sound and economically sustainable" and thus more likely to be widely adopted. Marshals Service, "2 Education Dept. Dan DeVos could not be reached for comment, and messages left with DP Fox, an RDV executive and Roland's publicity person received no replies. She was touring an area designed to resemble a hospital ward at Florida International University. 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." She currently is the Vice President of Corporate Affairs and an ex-Policy Board Member of Amway Corporation. 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. 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. 'I said, "Why don't you combine both of these passionsa passion for education, for kids and a passion for flyingin a school."'" DeVos later acknowledged racism as an important factor in the history of historically black colleges. He along with his wife, created a foundation for philanthropic causes and they donated heavily to the US Republican partys conservative causes as well. [14][23] She is of Dutch ancestry. However, under Plyler v. Doe, the American Supreme Court ruled under the American constitution, schools are obligated to provide schooling irrespective of immigration status. It's a monopoly, a dead end. [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. In 1999, they created a company Alticor, which would act as the parent firm to all their businesses. [40] During the Bush Administration she spent two years as the finance chairperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and worked closely with the Administration on "various projects". 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. [151], When DeVos was appointed US Education Secretary, it was revealed that she was an elder at Mars Hill Bible Church. He was 92. ADA, Mich. 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 . January 31, 2023. They now have a compound consisting of two houses, plus another house elsewhere in Windsor, where they spend several weeks a year. Although Amway has come under scrutiny and criticism by several government organizations, the conglomerate recorded sales of $8.8 billion in 2018. "I still remember when it was in the basement of our home when I was growing up," he later said. DeVos and her husband founded it in 1989. [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. According to BetsyDeVos.com, her official website, DeVos is a grandmother, with four children and five grandchildren. According to Ponnuru, the study referenced by Harris, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, did "not sound nearly as helpful to Harris's case as he suggests". Richard M. DeVos, the Amway Corporation co-founder who built and used one of the 20th century's great personal fortunes to bolster the Republican Party, restore civic vitality to . "I . He studied at the Grand Rapids Christian High School and this is where he met his friend and future business partner Jay Van Andel. DeVos was depicted by drag queen Scarlet Envy on the March 21, 2019 episode of RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 titled "Trump: The Rusical." "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. "By casting off the practice of forced unionization; Michigan now publicly declares to other states and in fact the world, that we embrace freedom for our workers, true equality in the workplace and that we are ready to compete with anyone, anywhere to create economic opportunity for our Michigan families." [87] This was the first tie decided by a vice president on any vote in the Senate since the George W. Bush administration. The Times article noted that the Devos family had given over $1 million to the Michigan GOP in 2012 and at least $2 million to a successful effort to defeat a proposal for a pro-union constitutional amendment. Staying current is easy with Crain's news delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge. Contact the DeVos Family Foundation Phone:(616) 643-4700Email:info@dvfoundations.orgAddress:DeVos Family Foundation 200 Monroe Avenue NW, Suite 200 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Privacy Cookies 2023 DeVos Family Foundation First new house on block where Emmett Till lived has sold. Wrong username or password. Constitution. The thing about hucksterism, though, is that there are limits to what you can say while being an effective salesperson. DeVos retired as president of Alticor in August 2002. [124][125][126], Subsequent to the incident, the U.S. Sometimes, the companys products and DeVos pitches had the whiff of snake oil. Dan DeVos is a businessman in his own right, and he's most well known for his role as CEO of DP Fox. In 2010 Betsy and Dick DeVos committed $22.5 million to the Kennedy Center Institute of Arts Management, which was thereupon renamed the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center. The love and guidance provided by his parent's has permeated his marriage of more than 60 years. Still others accused DeVos of offering sellers little more than get-rich-quick schemes. She declined to comment on the owners or describe the interior. Richard M. Devos worked on several business ideas with Jay Van Andel after they returned to civilian life post the war. That is going to be a big job to weave aviation throughout the entire basic curriculum. [8], DeVos is married to former Amway CEO Dick DeVos. "We want to help develop human capital and leverage that capital to the greatest extent possible", she said, describing Kaiser's "practice and approach" as "practical, realistic and creative". In other polls, the two candidates were "in a dead heat," and, to some observers' surprise, DeVos was leading "4840 among union households." 130 E. Randolph St. Born Richard Marvin DEVOS. Richard Marvin DeVos is born March 4, 1926, into a proud, hardworking Dutch-American, Christian household and close community in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jobs are the number one issue in Michigan right now. 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. Betsy DeVos is the daughter of Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, who contributed $450,000 . It was within a year of his wifes demise on 18 October 2017. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/richard-devos-49671.php. "My family is the largest single contributor of soft money to the national Republican Party. Suite 3200 His wealthand his willingness to spend itmade DeVos, and the rest of his family, impossible to ignore. [178], DeVos has been an advocate for the Detroit charter school system. [153][154], DeVos has served as chairperson, board member, and treasurer of the Acton Institute and headed the All Children Matter PAC. [98] She stated an interest in implementing choice policies directed toward children as individuals and criticizing the Obama administration's additional funding of $7billion for the U.S.'s worst-performing schools as "throwing money at the problem" in an attempt to find a solution. By the next two decades, the company had penetrated into markets of Japan, Latin America, Thailand, China, Africa, and India. The team is now worth nearly $1.2 billion net of debt. [38], DeVos personally raised more than $150,000 for the 2004 Bush re-election campaign,[39] and hosted a Republican fundraiser at her home in October 2008 that was headlined by President George W. Those efforts culminated in Betsy DeVos, Richs daughter-in-law and Dicks wife, being appointed secretary of education by President Donald Trumpanother indefatigable salesman, but one who lacks the mooring in religious and political beliefs that defined DeVos life. In 2006, Richard and his wife, Helen, were recognized for their work and received the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership. In September 2010, the Spectrum Health Foundation presented DeVos with its Art of Giving Award at its annual celebration of philanthropy. He also led the Council for National Policy, a powerful and secretive organization meant to bolster the political influence of conservative Christians. [26] It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 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. "[25], A November 3, 2006, article noted that DeVos's plan for turning around Michigan's "economic stagnancy and increasing unemployment" was called the TurnAround Plan. [17], DeVos is chairwoman of the Windquest Group, a privately held operating group that invests in technology, manufacturing, and clean energy. DeVos supported the candidacies of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. ", DeVos defended the charter school system using graduation rates that were significantly higher than those used for state and federal accountability purposes. [146] Organizations funded by the foundation include: Michigan's Foundation for Traditional Values; Center for Individual Rights; Acton Institute; Institute for Justice; Center for Individual Rights; Michigan's Pregnancy Resource Center; Right to Life Michigan Educational Fund; and Baptists for Life. Ethics laws dont require public officials like DeVos to break down their exact stake in an investment or what they have given to family members, an especially big loophole for large, dynastic wealth like the DeVos fortune. [24], DeVos was a long-time close friend of Gerald and Betty Ford, and was an honorary pallbearer at Gerald Ford's state funeral. Click below to see everything we have to offer. [65][66] On January 17, 2017, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held the hearing, which lasted three-and-one-half hours and "quickly became a heated and partisan debate". Richard's son Dan DeVos and his wife, fashion designer Pamella Roland, who has said publicly that she has a home in River North, appear to be the family members building this home, although representatives of Roland and the DeVos family real estate holdings did not respond to requests for confirmation. After that defeat, the DeVos family helped form the Michigan Freedom Fund to promote a right-to-work law. Yes!" Criticizing Granholm's economic policies, he said that in her place "I would have sent a very different signal to the entire regulatory infrastructure of the state, and would have taken steps to make this state more business friendly." Members were four Cabinet members, including herself. He is married to Maria DeVos. Would you say to Indiana, that school cannot discriminate against LGBT students if you want to receive federal dollars? One of his daughters-in . These examples were contested by Columbia University professor Aaron Pallas and Education Week reporter Ben Herold on the basis that the actual graduation rates were roughly only half as large as DeVos had stated. "It's fascinating how many aviators there are who have already expressed a desire to be involved with this program and to bring the aviation component to it. Daniel was born in 1959 and is a businessman and sports executive. In 1949, they formed a business called Ja-Ri, naming it after their initials, which they turned into a dealership for Nutrilite Products, after attending a company seminar on direct sales success, in Chicago. [56], This article is about Richard DeVos Jr. For Richard DeVos Sr. (his father), see, Last edited on 15 December 2022, at 20:35, Kennedy Center Institute of Arts Management, "2006 Official Michigan General Election Results Governor 4 Year Term (1) Position", "Insight: How Republicans engineered a blow to Michigan's powerful unions", "Inside the marriage of controversial billionaires Betsy DeVos and Amway heir Dick DeVos, who married young and ran a 'shadow state' in Michigan", "From clearing plates to leading a company: How the DeVos brothers grew up to change Amway", "Investor pleads guilty in philanthropist fraud case,", "`Im Tired of America Wasting Our Blood and Treasure The Strange Ascent of Betsy DeVos and Erik Prince,", "Dick Devos No Stranger To Leadership Roles", "DeVos calls for 'complete overhaul' of state government", "Sustainable Energy Can Mean Reduced Costs For Business: The Green Machine and Solar Power are Examples", "Dick and Betsy DeVos Funding the Far Right through Foundation Grants", "Gubernatorial race likely to cost more than $65 million", "Dick DeVos, one of state's wealthiest residents, prepares to take on Granholm", "The 2006 Elections: Michigan Governorship", "Michigan's DeVos is 'Capturing the Future', "Dick DeVos Brings Can-Do Attitude to Michigan Governor's Race", "Email Article Printable Version Section PDF DeVos Seeks to turn Michigan Around", "Success on right-to-work could attract Dick DeVos back to politics", "Pro-Trump America First groups raise $50 million with $42 million on hand going into 2020", "Digital Debate: Teamster's Hoffa & Amway Heir DeVos: Clash Over Unions! Their son, Rick, is the founder and chairman of ArtPrize, a world-renowned art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. [80] During an unusually early 6:30a.m. vote on February 3, 2017, cloture was invoked on DeVos's nomination in the Senate, requiring a final vote on the confirmation to happen after 30 hours of debate. Having tried his hand at several businesses, before earning his first million in the home care, beauty, and health industry, he always believed that his hard work would pay off one day. . [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. Public records show it's owned by an entity connected to members of the billionaire Michigan-based DeVos family, whose patriarch, Richard DeVos, is a co-founder of Amway. `` My family is the largest single contributor of soft money to the then-incumbent Democrat Granholm! 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