You may not know his name, but if you've ever traveled, no doubt you've seen his empire...
Chuck Feeney made his money in the duty-free shopping business, building a fortune to the tune of $8 billion over the course of his life.
The Irish-American is known for his frugality and humility. Despite all his wealth, he does not own a car. He rents a small apartment, he flies coach, and he owns one pair of shoes.
The co-founder of the Duty-Free Shoppers Group managed to keep his charitable activities hidden from the public for 15 years, until his identity was revealed to the public in 1997 when he sold his shares in the company.
He continued to keep a low profile until 2005.
This week, Feeney’s foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, finally ran out of money.
In explaining what motivated his generosity, the duty-free shopping mogul said “Wealth brings responsibility. People must define themselves, or feel a responsibility to use some of their assets to improve the lives of their fellow humans, or else create intractable problems for future generations.”
Feeney has donated $3.7 billion to higher education institutions, including close to $1 billion to Cornell University alone, where he studied for free under the GI Bill after serving in the Air Force during the Korean War.
He has also donated $870 million to various human rights groups, and $1.9 billion to fund various projects in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, where he helped found the University of Limerick.
The Guardian
(photo Getty Images)