Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson Jr. (born February 3, 1950) is an American Evangelical philanthropist. He is the son of Howard F. Ahmanson Sr., the founder of Home Savings Bank.

Early life and education

Howard Fieldstad Ahmanson Jr. was born on February 3, 1950. He is the son of Dorothy Johnston Grannis and financier Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. (1906–1968). His father was a prominent businessman in the savings and loan industry; Howard 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 Ahmanson has continued to be active.

His parents divorced when he was ten years old. His father died when he was eighteen, and Ahmanson inherited the family's fortune.

He attended Occidental College, where he obtained a degree in economics. He then toured Europe, but returned because of complications with arthritis. 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 thumb|180px|[[Biola University, one of many entities that has received contributions from Ahmanson]]
  • California Policy Center; Tustin, California
  • Calvin College; Grand Rapids, Michigan

:→Roberta Ahmanson graduated from Calvin College in 1972.

  • 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."

  • 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. Cincinnati, Ohio.

  • Orange County Classical Academy; Orange, California

:→A K-12 Classical Education public charter school.

  • Orange County Rescue Mission; Santa Ana, California

:→The Orange County Rescue Mission provides housing, support, and treatment, for people struggling with poverty and drug addiction.

  • Pepperdine University; Malibu, California

:→Similar to his programs at Chapman University, Ahmanson sponsors events and conferences on the topics of urbanism and affordable housing at Pepperdine's School of Public Policy.

  • St. James Anglican Church; Newport Beach, California

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

  • Strong Towns; Brainerd, Minnesota

:→Ahmanson has made several contributions to 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.

  • Voice of OC; Santa Ana, California

:→Fieldstead & Company has supported Voice of OC, a startup nonprofit newsroom founded by Norberto Santana Jr. to cover events in 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 abolition of California redevelopment agencies, especially concerned about what he viewed as the widespread abuse of eminent domain and public subsidies. 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 T. Carroll of the American Solidarity Party.

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 Orange County Register wrote a five-part profile of the Ahmansons.

Arts and humanities

thumb|right|[[Claude Monet "View of Vétheuil", Owned by Ahmanson before he donated to LACMA]]

Organizations

Ahmanson 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 his support:

  • 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 Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City
  • "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

In 1986, Ahmanson married journalist Roberta Green.

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

References

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