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The Billionaire Who Wasn't

How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune
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The Billionaire Who Wasn't

By: Conor O'Clery
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About this listen

The astonishing life of the modest New Jersey businessman who anonymously gave away 10 billion dollars and inspired the "giving while living" movement

In this bestselling book, Conor O'Clery reveals the inspiring life story of Chuck Feeney, known as the "James Bond of philanthropy." Feeney was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to a blue-collar Irish-American family during the Depression. After service in the Korean War, he made a fortune as founder of Duty Free Shoppers, the world's largest duty-free retail chain. By 1988, he was hailed by Forbes Magazine as the twenty-fourth richest American alive. But secretly Feeney had already transferred all his wealth to his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies. Only in 1997 when he sold his duty free interests, was he "outed" as one of the greatest and most mysterious American philanthropists in modern times, who had anonymously funded hospitals and universities from San Francisco to Limerick to New York to Brisbane. His example convinced Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to give away their fortunes during their lifetime, known as the giving pledge.

©2013 Conor O'Clery (P)2026 PublicAffairs

Critic Reviews

"Chuck Feeney is a remarkable role model, and the ultimate example of giving while living."—Bill Gates
"A rollicking story of how, by stealth, an Irish American obsessed by secrecy built a business empire and revolutionised philanthropy."—Economist, best books of 2007
"An engrossing look at an unusual, influential philanthropist...A superbly written, detailed look at Chuck Feeney, who gave away billions. Reads like fiction."—BusinessWeek, top ten business books of 2007

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