a life of two halves
Allegedly, Ronald Reagan kept a plaque on his oval office desk on which was the famous Harry S Truman quote “A man may do an immense deal of good, if he does not care who gets the credit for it”. I mention this for two reasons, firstly that dear Ronald was, perversely, the person most likely to seek credit for anything that happened during his tenure and secondly, it came to mind when I read a recent obituary of Chuck Feeney, an American businessman, who quietly and discreetly gave his away his billionaire fortune.
A living embodiment of the American dream, aged ten, the young entrepreneur made money selling Christmas cards door to door in summer, flogging umbrellas on rainy days and renting-out deckchairs when the sun shone. Following military service in Korea he struck gold by selling duty-free booze to US troops abroad. The business evolved into the Duty Free Shoppers Group and quickly became the world’s largest travel retailer. With its own income also being largely tax-free, Chuck acquired many of the trappings associated with a billionaire’s lifestyle, including apartments throughout the world, ski lodges wherever there was good snow and even a shooting estate in North Yorkshire.
However, whilst celebrating his 50th birthday it appears he underwent something of a Damascene conversion and resigned himself to giving it all away. Referring to his plan as ‘giving while living’ he funded projects on five continents, from Aids clinics in South Africa to earthquake relief in Haiti. With a particular interest in Irish affairs, Feeney gave almost #500m to causes in Northern Ireland, directing both sectarian sides towards their eventual peace. By the time he completed his mission in 2020, he’d distributed more than $8bn. Surprisingly though he sought no glory whatsoever. For decades he remained completely anonymous and none of the 1,000 or so buildings he paid for bore his name. Famously frugal, he wore a $15 Casio watch, flew economy and spent his final years living happily in an unassuming two-bed rented flat in a San Francisco suburb. What a gentleman. The world needs more Chucks in it.
Sadly, history shines no light on whether President Reagan followed the advice of Truman’s second most famous quote: “Never kick a fresh t*rd on a hot day”.
