[12], DeVos also formerly owned the Orlando Solar Bears, Grand Rapids Griffins, and the Kansas City Blades, three International Hockey League franchises before that league folded;[13] the Solar Bears and Blades were closed as a result of the league folding, while the Griffins moved to the American Hockey League, and are now under the ownership of Dan DeVos, one of Richard's sons. 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 DeVoses own a sportsplex in Florida, a baseball stadium in Michigan and a resort in the Bahamas. 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. It's 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. DeVos supported the candidacies of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. One of his daughters-in . [148] Specific donations included $2.39million to the Grand Rapids Christian High School Association, $652,000 to the Ada Christian School, and $458,000 to Holland Christian Schools. That evolved to speaking in front of groups and even giving product demonstrations." Rich was known globally for his business achievements and locally in West Michigan and Central. [97], DeVos delivered her first extended policy address on March 29, 2017, at the Brookings Institution which included the topic of school choice which has been her main advocacy issue for more than 30 years. ", DeVos defended the charter school system using graduation rates that were significantly higher than those used for state and federal accountability purposes. [105][106], On September 12, 2018, DeVos lost the lawsuit brought by 19 states and the District of Columbia, which accused the Department of Education of improperly delaying implementation of regulations protecting student loan borrowers from predatory practices. "[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." [96], On March 24, 2017, during a visit to the Osceola County campus of Valencia College, DeVos said she was considering the extension of federal financial aid for students that were year-round and interested in placing more focus on community colleges. [4], DeVos believes education in the United States should encourage the proliferation of charter schools and open up private schools to more students via financial assistance programs, often called vouchers. ", In answer to the question of why it was a charter school, DeVos explained that "Charter schools are available to everyone. A charter school is a public school and therefore there's no tuition. Rich DeVos used to tag along, noting the way the old mans neighborly demeanor and good humor gave him an instant rapport with customers. The Foundation supports strategic projects and initiatives that impact the community, empower individuals to reach their full potential, and catalyze change. Betsy, the daughter of auto parts magnate Edgar Prince and sister of Blackwater founder Erik. The DeVos Family Foundation invests in initiatives that create pathways to opportunities, support the healthy growth of children and families, and cultivate thriving communities. 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. "[30], In a December 2012 article in The New York Times, Nicholas Confessore and Monica Davey reported that after President Obama's re-election, DeVos "began dialing up state lawmakers in Lansing," telling them that it was time to pass a right-to-work law. (After a multiyear investigation in the 1970s, the Federal Trade Commission ruled Amway is not a pyramid scheme.). [2], DeVos was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Ethel Ruth (Dekker) and Simon Cornelius DeVos, Dutch Americans[3] who worked in the electrical business. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks as Mark Brown, chief . Born Richard Marvin DEVOS. DeVos was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Ethel Ruth (Dekker) and Simon Cornelius DeVos, who worked in the electrical business. [25], He co-founded the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, an American conservative foundation and grant-making body in 1970. Our state does not have a climate for job creation. DeVos, Richard M. Amway co-founder and Orlando Magic Senior Chairman Richard M. DeVos died September 6, 2018, at his home in Ada, Michigan. Another entity, Windquest Group, manages Dick and Betsys personal investments from a few blocks away. [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. American businessman, co-founder of Amway along with Jay Van Andel. [184] In the same month, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon parodied the Education Department's typos on Twitter, featuring Jo Firestone as DeVos. He also purchased the Orlando Magic, an NBA franchise. [8][9][10], His wife, Betsy DeVos, is the former chairperson of the Michigan Republican Party and the former Secretary of Education under President Donald Trump. He is a businessman and a politician by profession. [62] The Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Michigan Democratic Party opposed DeVos's nomination. On November 7, 2006, DeVos was defeated by Democratic incumbent Jennifer Granholm by a 14-point margin. Dick DeVos Dick was born on 21 October, 1955. In the 2000s, the DeVos family bankrolled school-voucher campaigns and charter school efforts throughout the country. They went on to create different corporations like Amway Services, Amway Sales, and Amway Manufacturing to cater to the various needs of the company, which ultimately merged into one entity; the Amway Corporation in 1964. They also own three houses in Windsor, Florida, a development at the northern end of Vero Beach, 80 miles north of Palm Beach. DeVos and her husband founded it in 1989. [77] DeVos's nomination was supported by 18 Republican governors, including John Kasich and Rick Snyder, along with the nine Republican members of Congress from Michigan. 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 have been a fighter for the grassroots, and following is admittedly not my strong suit. On January 7, 2021, DeVos tendered her resignation as education secretary as a result of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, saying to President Trump in her resignation letter, "There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation. [21], An article published on August 3, 2005, quoted DeVos as saying that the main issue for Michigan voters was the state's economy. [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. Zack Stanton is digital editor of Politico Magazine. After conducting "a feasibility and economic-impact analysis," DeVos worked with two local bankers to set the plan in motion. [55] In addition, they have a vacation home in Holland, Michigan, on the shore of Lake Macatawa. In the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Detroit had the lowest reading and mathematics scores "by far" over any city participating in the evaluation. Since losing his 2006 run for governor, he had "worked to exert influence from the outside."[33]. [88][89], DeVos said that on the basis of her first few days in the job, she had concerns that some Education Department employees were sympathetic to the Obama administration. DeVos later acknowledged racism as an important factor in the history of historically black colleges. The Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation has supported ArtPrize, an art competition in Grand Rapids, since 2009. We just hung around the company. DeVos began working with Amway Corporation in 1974, holding positions in various divisions, including research and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and finance. The families split ownership 50/50, according to a spokesperson of the DeVos family. See more onMike Pence,William Barr,Steven Mnuchin and Wilbur Ross. "My family is the largest single contributor of soft money to the national Republican Party. Downtown condos are selling for long-ago prices. His second book was Compassionate Capitalism that released in 1993, then in 2000 came Hope From My Heart: Ten Lessons For Life which is a book that depicts his feelings post his heart transplant surgery that he underwent in 1997, and in 2014, he published his autobiography Simply Rich. Granholm was quoted as saying she "admired his tenacity and his passion for Michigan". Along with the company Chairman Steve Van Andel, Doug DeVos oversees its daily operations. 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. He had also received endorsements from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Michigan Farm Bureau.[26]. [76] More than 300 state lawmakers from across the U.S., overwhelmingly Democrats, voiced their opposition to DeVos's appointment in a letter to the U.S. Senate sent the day before a scheduled vote on her nomination. But the makings of the movement were therethe sexual revolution, the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade ruling, the pornography wars, the white backlash to desegregation, the backlash to the womens lib movement, the rise of the silent majority.. "[46], During the Republican Party presidential primaries for the 2016 election, DeVos initially donated to Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina before eventually supporting Marco Rubio. And whether Rich DeVos was selling vitamins or cleaning supplies or free-market conservatism, his sales approach remained more or less the same: He never sold a product so much as an idea of how life could or should be. Is admittedly not my strong suit entity, Windquest Group, manages Dick and Betsys personal from. State does not have a climate for job creation and Helen DeVos Foundation has supported ArtPrize, an American Foundation. A climate for job creation DeVos later acknowledged racism as an important factor in the Bahamas Rick... 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