Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 02:18, 23 January 2024

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This biographical article is written like a résumé. Please help improve it by revising it to be neutral and encyclopedic. (September 2021) A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. It may require cleanup to comply with Misplaced Pages's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Misplaced Pages. See Misplaced Pages's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (March 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article may have been created or edited in return for undisclosed payments, a violation of Misplaced Pages's terms of use. It may require cleanup to comply with Misplaced Pages's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. (April 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Howard F. Ahmanson Jr.
Ahmanson Jr. in 2016
Born	(1950-02-03) February 3, 1950 (age 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Occidental College (BA) University of Texas at Arlington (MA)
Occupation(s)	Heir, financier
Spouse	Roberta Green Ahmanson ​ ​(m. 1986)​
Children	David Ahmanson
Parent(s)	Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. Dorothy Johnston Grannis
Relatives	Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson (stepmother) Robert H. Ahmanson (cousin) William H. Ahmanson (cousin)

Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson Jr. (born February 3, 1950) is an American heir to a banking fortune. He is the son of Howard F. Ahmanson Sr., the founder of Home Savings Bank, whose fortune Ahmanson Jr. is an heir to. He writes on issues including housing affordability, land use, the abuse of eminent domain, and the rule of law.

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). His father was a prominent businessman in the savings and loan industry; Ahmanson, Sr. founded H.F. Ahmanson & Co., which thrived in the Great Depression and ultimately expanded throughout California and into New York state, Arizona and Florida. His father was well known for his support of the arts, an area in which the father and son share an interest. 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 from a young age, reading by age three. He was quoted in a local newspaper about thermonuclear reactions at age eight.

His parents divorced when he was ten years old. Despite the trappings of wealth, Howard Jr. was a lonely child. He has said, "I resented my family background, could never be a role model, whether by habits or his lifestyle, it was never anything I wanted." His father died when he was eighteen, and Ahmanson Jr. inherited his father's fortune.

He attended Occidental College, where he obtained a degree in economics. He then toured Europe, but returned because of complications with arthritis. He earned a master's degree in linguistics at the University of Texas at Arlington. Ahmanson's language fluency in Spanish, German and Japanese are singular and uncommon triumphs over his Tourette syndrome.

In 1986, Howard married journalist Roberta Green, who supports him in spending his father's money and has a specific focus and concern for visual art. She assumes a more hands-on role within those endeavors, namely Bridge Projects in Los Angeles.

Monetary Contributions

Organizations and projects

Fieldstead and Company, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson's personal office, has a steady history of contributing parts of his father's inherited fortune to a plethora of organizations and initiatives. 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". The following is a list of organizations to which the Ahmansons have contributed significant amounts in the past:

• American Anglican Council; Washington, D.C.

→Association of orthodox Episcopal churches, led by Rev. Canon David Anderson.

• Biola University; La Mirada, California

  

• California Policy Center; Tustin, California

→Howard played a significant role in financially and intellectually supporting a publication, “With Friends Like These”, that was organized by the California Policy Center and served California elected officials by displaying a grounded case against crony corporate welfare in the state of California.

• Calvin College; Grand Rapids, Michigan

→Roberta Ahmanson graduated from Calvin College in 1972.

• Chalcedon Foundation; Vallecito, California
• Chapman University; Orange, California

→By way of Fieldstead & Company, Howard has made possible a series of conferences and events predominantly focused on matters such as housing policy and urbanism, all held at Chapman University’s Wilkinson College for Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. These events have tackled conversations relevant to the Greater Los Angeles area, such as the future of transportation, the LA housing crisis, housing injustices, and the dwindling power of municipal governance/bodies.

• Claremont Institute; Claremont, California

→Think tank seeking "to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life."

• Discovery Institute; Seattle, Washington

→Howard Ahmanson Jr. served on the board of directors for the Center for Science and Culture, a proponent for the intelligent design movement.

• Drew University; Madison, New Jersey

→Founders of a team that published 28 volumes of the "Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture."

• Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC); Washington D.C.

→Think tank that view domestic and foreign policy issues from a Judeo-Christian point of view.

• Food for the Hungry; Phoenix, Arizona

→Evangelical-based relief organization with annual budget of about $76 million and programs in 37 countries in the developing world.

• Fullhart-Carnegie Museum Trust; Perry, Iowa

→The contribution funds a museum in the town of Perry, Iowa, in which Roberta Ahmanson grew up.

• Hudson Institute; Washington, D.C.
• International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation (INFEMIT USA); Washington, D.C.
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship; Madison, Wisconsin
• John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation
• Maranatha Trust; Washington, D.C.
• Mariners Christian School; Costa Mesa, California

→Private school in Costa Mesa with about 650 students in preschool to eighth grade.

• National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families (formerly National Coalition Against Pornography); Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Orange County Classical Academy; Orange, California

→Orange County's only free tuition-free, K-12 Classical Education public charter school.

• Orange County Rescue Mission; Santa Ana, California

→Howard and Roberta are active supporters of the Orange County Rescue Mission, an effort that turns impossibilities into possibilities for the lesser fortunate; predominantly serving those who suffer from abuse, addiction, and abandonment. The Orange County Rescue Mission provides housing, support, treatment, and opportunity for the betterment of those afflicted and forgotten.

• Pepperdine University; Malibu, California

→Through his monetary contributions, Howard has utilized support panels and conferences held at Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy. These events consisted of conversations around housing affordability and included a deep, varied unit of experts on housing policy in the Greater Los Angeles area.

• St. James Anglican Church; Newport Beach, California

→Formerly "St. James Episcopal Church", the Ahmansons have attended the "evangelical church with charismatic roots."

• CityGate (Formerly "Sen USA"); Hobart, Indiana

→Evangelical Christian missionary group working in Central and Eastern Europe.

• Strong Towns; Brainerd, Minnesota

→Howard has made possible events put on by Strong Towns, a think tank and community that encourages Americans and Canadians, alike, to rethink the way municipal infrastructure is developed and sustained in their respective communities. Fieldstead & Company have been generous in making it possible for Strong Towns to bring their community together for an in-person gathering to learn from active policy experts, policymakers, and researchers around sustaining municipal infrastructure.

• Voice of OC; Santa Ana, California

→Fieldstead & Company has generously supported Voice of OC, a startup nonprofit newsroom founded by Norberto Santana, Jr. Troubled by the corruption he discovered in modern journalism, Santana started Voice of OC as an initiative to cover matters that empower, not exploit, the citizens within Orange County.

• World Vision; Washington, D.C.

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. Through Fieldstead, Ahmanson's wife Roberta, a former religion reporter and editor for the Orange County Register, 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. Fieldstead has funded other Christian journalistic projects such as Gegrapha and GetReligion. A common thread in all of these organizations is Terry Mattingly, a personal friend of Roberta Ahmanson, 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. Howard and Roberta are also supporters of The Media Project, an organization that "educates journalists on the importance of religion" and its digital magazine, Religion Unplugged. The Ahmansons have also supported the creation of the 29-volume Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, published by InterVarsity Press.

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 abuse of eminent domain and public subsidies to private businesses which he views as perversely incentivising cronyism to the detriment of those with the least money and influence. He financed the publication "Redevelopment: The Unknown Government" and the formation of Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform (MORR), alongside Chris Norby, California legislator and former mayor of Fullerton, California, in 1995. Norby later served in the California State Assembly when redevelopment agencies were abolished in 2011 and MORR was disbanded, having succeeded in its sole purpose.

Ahmanson was a registered Republican until 2008; Ahmanson, worried about the narrowing focus of the California Republican Party on lowering taxes, announced that he switched parties and was a registered Democrat from 2008 to 2018. Finding fault with both parties, he is now officially registered as a "No Party Preference" (NPP) voter (formerly referred to as a decline-to-state voter by the state of California). In the 2020 presidential election Ahmanson voted for and endorsed Brian Carroll of the American Solidarity Party.

Until March 2023, Ahmanson was the sole funder of Rod Dreher's employment writing for The American Conservative. He reportedly pulled the funding which provided Rod Dreher a six-figure salary after reading an article that Rod published in The American Conservative describing in detail his experience of seeing a man's uncircumsized penis, calling it a "primitive root weiner". Ahmanson was reported saying of this article, "This is too weird", and “I don’t want to read this or pay for this anymore.”

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

In 2004, the Ahmansons let the Orange County Register do a five-part series on them to give the public a more accurate view of their work and beliefs.

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

• Protect Our Homes Coalition
• Food for the Hungry (Thailand, Ecuador, Philippines and Zimbabwe)
• Harambee Christian Preparatory School (Pasadena, California)
• Victims of war in Nagarno-Karabagh
• Music education for schools in Orange County
• Western Center for Law and Religious Freedom

Holding a strong interest and passion in the activity of standup paddleboarding, Howard has assumed a role of activism alongside FreeSUP SoCal in opposition to a particular determination made by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) that has been used to require operators of standup paddleboards to wear a personal flotation device (PFD). FreeSUP SoCal maintains that a leash is the more common and frequently most effective safety equipment, as evidenced by its widespread usage and the sport's significantly diminished mortality rate compared to other water sports. In 2014, the organization that would come to be known as FreeSup SoCal and which receives funding by Ahmanson, offered a formal, public comment to the USCG that explained how the PFD determination which was intended to promote safety for standup paddleboarders sorely lacked data justifying the determination, and that making determinations without the necessary data could have the opposite effect of putting paddleboarders in peril.

Arts and humanities

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.

• Bridge Projects
• Stanley Spenser: An English Vision installment at the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.
• The Sacred Made Real
• Visual Commentary on Scripture (VCS)
• Caravaggio: The Final Years at the National Gallery, London
• Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra
• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, published by InterVarsity Press
• The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco
• The Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City

Howard's charitable contributions have supported 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.

Bridge Projects

Bridge Projects is an LA-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. While Howard played a supportive role in bringing this project to fruition, Roberta spearheaded the vision for Bridge Projects, which has featured a number of progressive art installations, such as:

• "10 Columns," an immersive light installation created by prominent Southern California artist, Phillip K. Smith III(active:10/12/19-2/16/20).
• “A Composite Leviathan,” a two-part exhibition created by a collection of emerging Chinese artists (active: 9/12/20-2/27/21).
• “To Bough and To Bend,” an exhibition of many artists using trees as imagery for discussions around ecological issues (active: 03/11/20-07.25/20).

Personal life

Ahmanson lives with Tourette syndrome. His primary residence is in Newport Beach, CA.

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 (March 15, 2013). "WHO WAS HOWARD AHMANSON SR. AND HOW DID HE CHANGE L.A.? A NEW BOOK TRIES TO ANSWER". LA Weekly. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
8. Abrahamson, Eric John (February 28, 2013). Building home: Howard F. Ahmanson and the politics of the American dream. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520273757.
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. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
12. "Howard Ahmanson and Roberta Ahmanson Bio". Fieldstead & Company. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
13. "About Howard". Howard Ahmanson Jr. Howard Ahmanson. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
14. ^ "Bridge Projects". bridgeprojects.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
15. "Giving". Fieldstead and Company. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
16. ^ Larsen, Peter (August 9, 2004). "Rich in Faith Part Two". OC Register.
17. Ahmanson, Howard (January 8, 2020). "Insights from Francis Fukuyama on the Problem of Crony Capitalism". Howard Ahmanson, Jr. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
18. "WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE" (PDF). California Policy Center. CPC. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
19. "The City of Bell Scandal Revisited". Chapman University Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Chapman University. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
20. "REIMAGINING LOCAL GOVERNMENT: STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY IN OUR COMMUNITIES". Chapman University Digital Commons. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
21. "4th Annual Local Government Conference: Will California Ever Figure Out How to House Itself?". Chapman University Wilkinson College. Chapman University. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
22. "The Future of Transportation: 5th Annual Public Policy Conference". Chapman University Wilkinson College. Chapman University. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
23. "Mission". Claremont Institution. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
24. "Board of Directors". Discovery Institute. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
25. "Fullhart Carnegie Charitable Trust". Hometown Heritage. Dallas County Foundation.
26. ^ Larsen, Peter. "Giving generously to their causes". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on May 12, 2009.
27. National Sexual Violence Resource Center
28. "Homepage". Orange County Classical Academy. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
29. Ahmanson, Jr., Howard (October 11, 2016). "A Manifesto: Important Events That Shaped My Political Views – Howard Ahmanson". Howard F. Ahmanson, Jr. Howard Ahmanson. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
30. "Night at the Symphony". OC Rescue Mission. August 13, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
31. Scheller, Christine A. (January 19, 2011). "Connoisseur for Christ: Roberta Green Ahmanson". Christianity Today. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
32. "Good News in Tustin". OC Rescue Mission. May 14, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
33. "Help Us Rescue Young Girls". OC Rescue Mission. February 2, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
34. Coghlan, Ed (March 28, 2019). "Clash between housing affordability, preserving neighborhoods in spotlight at Pepperdine". California Economic Summit. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
35. "A Home in California: Are Our Communities Sustainable?". Pepperdine School of Public Policy. Pepperdine University. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
36. "CityGate Homepage". CityGate. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
37. "Speakers for the Regional Gathering". Strong Towns. November 20, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
38. Santana Jr., Noberto (June 3, 2019). "Santana: Voice of OC is Ten Years Old Today". Voice of OC. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
39. "Discovery Institute-Board Members". Discovery Institute. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
40. Wilgoren, Jodi (August 21, 2005). "Politicized Scholars Put Evolution on the Defensive". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
41. "Howard & Roberta Ahmanson". Fieldstead & Company.
42. Washington Journalism Center Archived June 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
43. Gegrapha
44. 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
45. Buddenbaum, Judith M. (2010). "Blind Spot: When Journalists Don't get Religion". Journal of Media and Religion. 9: 47–51. doi:10.1080/15348420903536844. S2CID 143471762.
46. "Staff & Board". The Media Project. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
47. ^ Levenick, Christopher (Spring 2012). "Ex Libris Philanthropy". Philanthropy. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
48. Norby, Chris; Curtis, Sherry; Gilson, Ruth; Heinl, Jean; Kaplan, Douglas; Shaffer, Dr. Ralph; Sutton, Christopher. "Sutton". Redevelopment: The Unknown Government. Municipal Officials for Redevelopment Reform. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
49. Sandefur, Timothy (March 7, 2012). "Celebrating a victory for property owners in California". Pacific Legal Foundation. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
50. Greenhut, Steven (March 23, 2009). "Howard Ahmanson Becomes Democrate". Orange County Register. OC Register. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
51. Ahmanson, Jr., Howard (July 4, 2018). "I Became a "Decline to State"". Howard Ahmanson Jr. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
52. Padilla, Alex. "No Party Preference Information". California Secretary of State. State of California. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
53. Ahmanson, Howard (October 27, 2020). "The American Conservative 2020 Presidential Symposium". The American Conservative. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
54. Greenhut, Steven (March 10, 2023). "Howard Ahmanson Becomes Democrate". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
55. "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America". Time. Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
56. Reason, Nov. 1998 Archived May 31, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
57. Flank, Lenny (2007). Deception by Design: The Intelligent Design Movement in America. St. Petersburg, FL: Red and Black Publishers. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-9791813-0-6. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
58. ^ Fetta, Lisa (October 5, 2006). "The 'Other' Howard". The Center for Public Integrity.
59. ^ "Howard Ahmanson-Board Member". Discovery Institute. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
60. ^ "Howard Ahmanson-Board Member". Discovery Institute. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
61. Hoedt, Jeffrey. "Legal Determination on Vessel Status of Paddleboard" (PDF). United States Coast Guard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
62. Douglas, S. "PFD Laws – SUP or Paddleboards Now Classified as Vessels". World Padde Association. WPA. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
63. Azadian, James. "Comment in Response to Docket No. USCG-2010-0164, Department of Homeland Security" (PDF). Enterprise Counsel Group. ECG. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
64. "Who We Are - FreeSUP". FreeSUP. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
65. Richard, Paul. "STANLEY SPENCER'S GLOBAL VILLAGE". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
66. "STANLEY SPENCER: AN ENGLISH VISION". Smithsonian. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
67. "The Sacred Made Real". The National Gallery of London. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
68. Smith, Samuel. "New 'Visual Commentary on Scripture' website offers new way to study the Bible". The Christian Examiner. Christian Examiner. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
69. "Caravaggio: The Final Years at The National Gallery". Art Daily. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
70. "View of Vétheuil". LACMA. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
71. "Scene of Judgement, from a cassone panel, Shooting at Father's Corpse". LACMA. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
72. Molina, Alejandra. "In this art gallery, conversations about religion and spirituality are welcome". The Oakland Press. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
73. Elaine, James. "A Composite Leviathan". Bridge Projects.
74. "To Bough and To Bend". Bridge Projects. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
75. Doward, J. Anti-gay millionaire bankrolls Caravaggio spectacular. The Observer. March 6, 2005.
76. "Mega-mansion debuts in Newport Beach". Orange County Register. January 13, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2018.

External links

• The Ahmanson Foundation
• Howard Ahmanson, Board of Directors (Discovery Institute)
• Ahmanson's Blog

• 1950 births
• Living people
• Occidental College alumni
• University of Texas at Arlington alumni
• Discovery Institute fellows and advisors
• American Anglican Church in North America members
• Dominion theology
• Intelligent design advocates
• People with Tourette syndrome
• Christians from California
• Fellows of King's College London