Howard Ahmanson Jr. - Misplaced Pages

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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)	Philanthropist, 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 political activist.

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. that 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 for 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. His father died when his son was eighteen, and Ahmanson Jr. inherited the vast fortune built by his father.

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.

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 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.

Bridge Projects

Bridge Projects is a 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

^ 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)
"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.
Johnson, Greg (January 23, 1991). "Home Savings to Buy Coast's S.D. Branches". Los Angeles Times.
"Home Savings in Acquisition Washington, Aug. 12". The New York Times. August 13, 1984.
"H. F. Ahmanson agreed to buy an S&L in Arizona". Los Angeles Times. April 29, 1987.
"Banking". Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. February 12, 1997.
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.
Abrahamson, Eric John (February 28, 2013). Building home : Howard F. Ahmanson and the politics of the American dream. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520273757.
Doward, Jamie. Anti-gay millionaire bankrolls Caravaggio spectacular. The Observer. March 6, 2005.
^ Blumenthal, Max (January 6, 2004). "Avenging angel of the religious right". Salon. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
"Howard Ahmanson and Roberta Ahmanson Bio". Fieldstead & Company. Fieldstead & Company. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
"About Howard". Howard Ahmanson Jr. Howard Ahmanson. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
^ Cite error: The named reference Bridge Projects was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Richard, Paul. "STANLEY SPENCER'S GLOBAL VILLAGE". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
"STANLEY SPENCER: AN ENGLISH VISION". Smithsonian. Smithsonian. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
"The Sacred Made Real". The National Gallery of London. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
Smith, Samuel. "New 'Visual Commentary on Scripture' website offers new way to study the Bible". The Christian Examiner. Christian Examiner. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
"Caravaggio: The Final Years at The National Gallery". Art Daily. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
^ Cite error: The named reference Howard Ahmanson-Board Member was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: The named reference Levenick was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Cite error: The named reference discovery.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
"View of Vétheuil". LACMA. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
"Scene of Judgement, from a cassone panel, Shooting at Father's Corpse". LACMA. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
Molina, Alejandra. "In this art gallery, conversations about religion and spirituality are welcome". The Oakland Press. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
Elaine, James. "A Composite Leviathan". Bridge Projects. Bridge Projects.
"To Bough and To Bend". Bridge Projects. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
Doward, J. Anti-gay millionaire bankrolls Caravaggio spectacular. The Observer. March 6, 2005.
"Mega-mansion debuts in Newport Beach". Orange County Register. January 13, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2018.

External links

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