Its how he helped to give rise to the modern religious right movement, which he generously funded and proselytized on behalf of. [60][61] Rebecca Mead of The New Yorker questioned the efficacy of Michigan's charter school system, which DeVos has supported. DeVos was born Elisabeth Prince on January 8, 1958. [121], In late May 2018, Devos said that she believed it was "a school decision" on whether to report a student's family to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if the student or their family are undocumented immigrants. [108], DeVos pushed for schools to re-open while coronavirus cases were still surging in large parts of the country. Distributors might imagine theyll end up like the man himself, worth billions, but the fact is that less than one-half of 1 percent of Amways independent business operators make more than $12,000 a year in sales, and many others lose money, as is disclosed in the fine print of a company pamphlet. In March 2016, DeVos described Donald Trump as an "interloper" and said that he "does not represent the Republican Party". In 1959after numerous ventures into entrepreneurshipthey started a new business together in the basements of their homes. . To that effect, they created Amway (short for American Way Association) in April 1959 to showcase their product portfolio. [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. campaign committee, which sponsored a ballot-initiative that would have amended the Michigan constitution to allow vouchers and tuition tax credits for private K-12 education. Those twin comments led the RNC to oust DeVos in August 1982, though they did little to diminish his support for the party and conservative groups more broadly. In 2006, DeVos ran for Governor of Michigan, but lost to the then-incumbent Democrat Jennifer Granholm. 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 . It was your social activity. Billionaire Richard DeVos, co-founder of direct-selling giant Amway, owner of the Orlando Magic and father-in-law of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, died Thursday. Sway in State Contests", "U.S. Panel on AIDS, Citing Challenges, Ousts Staff Chief", "At 83, Amway co-founder Richard DeVos prepares company's third generation, addresses church, gay-marriage concerns", How MLive analyzed DeVos family's $90.9 million in annual donations, "M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation", Richard DeVos Philanthropic Impact Reflected by Hope Campus, Sport Business About the DeVos Foundation, "Amway co-founder Richard DeVos dies at 92", Majority team owners in the National Basketball Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_DeVos&oldid=1135078359, Businesspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Women's National Basketball Association executives, American members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 January 2023, at 14:21. [62][63] Republican senator Ben Sasse said DeVos "has made a career out of standing up to powerful and connected special interests on behalf of poor kids who are too often forgotten by Washington". We are the only state that has not moved to positive ground when it comes to actual numbers of jobs in the marketplace," he said. [24], He died at his home in Ada, Michigan on September 6, 2018, at the age of 92.[9][33]. Dick DeVos is President of the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, a Grand Rapids-area foundation that has donated millions of dollars to civic, artistic, religious, educational, community and free-market economic organizations since 1990. But DeVos helped to change that and, in the process, ushered in a new era of American politics, helping to marry free-market ideology and religious conservatism. [166] Until November 2016,[167] she headed the All Children Matter PAC which she and her husband founded in 2003 to promote school vouchers, tax credits to businesses that give private school scholarships, and candidates who support these causes. Born on March 04, 1926 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA , United States (96 years) Born on March 04 36. On November 7, 2006, DeVos was defeated by Democratic incumbent Jennifer Granholm by a 14-point margin. DeVos served as an Honorary Pallbearer at Gerald R. Ford's State Funeral. [156][157] The couple donated $22.5million in 2010 to continue the endeavor, which was given in the name of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. [164], DeVos is known as "a fierce proponent of school vouchers" that would allow students to attend private schools with public funding. Picks Raise Fears on Civil Rights Enforcement", "Some Hires by Betsy DeVos Are a Stark Departure From Her Reputation", "Education Department Unwinds Unit Investigating Fraud at For-Profits", "Betsy DeVos's Former Chief Of Staff Joins Anti-Trump Group", "DeVos sparks controversy with comments on black colleges", "Education Secretary Betsy Devos tours Valencia campus in Osceola", "Polarizing but enduring Cabinet member: Education head DeVos", "Betsy DeVos Calls for More School Choice, Saying Money Isn't the Answer", "Betsy DeVos pushes school choice in speech to advocacy group, gives no specifics", Analysis: 9 controversial - and highly revealing - things Betsy DeVos has said, Why it was so easy for '60 Minutes' to rebut Betsy DeVos's charter-school arguments, "DeVos: All schools that receive federal funds must follow federal law", "Betsy DeVos undoes Obama's student loan protections", "18 States Sue Betsy DeVos Over Student Loan Protections", "Eighteen states sue Betsy DeVos for suspending rules on for-profit colleges", "Betsy DeVos Loses Student Loan Lawsuit Brought by 19 States", "DeVos Funnels Coronavirus Relief Funds to Favored Private and Religious Schools", "DeVos downplays risks of return to schools", "Betsy DeVos won't say if schools should listen to CDC guidelines on reopening", "Campus Rape Policies Get a New Look as the Accused Get DeVos's Ear", Education Secretary Betsy DeVos stumbles during pointed '60 Minutes' interview, "DeVos proposals for campus sex misconduct rules are 'worse than we thought,' victims' advocates say", "Betsy DeVos moves to demolish Title IX, silence sexual abuse victims", "Three Reasons Why Betsy DeVos's Proposed Title IX Rules Would Hurt Survivors", "Trump Administration Gets An Earful On New Campus Sexual Assault Rules", DeVos rescinds 72 guidance documents outlining rights for disabled students, "Betsy DeVos accidentally promotes study showing teachers feel disrespected by her", "Secretary DeVos Forms School Safety Commission | U.S. Department of Education", "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says school safety commission will issue 'best practices' by year's end", "Betsy DeVos' utterly botched call for Special Olympics funding cuts, explained", "Protesters briefly block Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's visit to a D.C. school", "Protesters block DeVos from entering DC school", "Protesters block DeVos from entering D.C. middle school", "In Miami, DeVos visits first public university since becoming education secretary, faces protesters", "Additional Security for DeVos May Cost Up to $7.8 Million", "Students boo Betsy DeVos as commencement speaker at historically black university", "Bethune-Cookman grads boo Betsy DeVos at commencement", "Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278e)", Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, "Betsy DeVos' Financial Disclosure Fails to Account for Divestiture of 24 Assets", "DeVos used personal emails for work in 'limited' cases, report finds", "DeVos under investigation for potentially violating Hatch Act because of Fox News interview", "pbs.twimg.com/media/ErFh1xdXMAA0r1_?format=png&name=medium", "Betsy DeVos resigns as Education Secretary", "Senator Warren Says that Betsy DeVos Resigned to Dodge the 25th Amendment", Trump Education nominee Betsy DeVos lied to the Senate, "School Choice, But Much More: Making Sense of DeVos Family Philanthropy", "Dick and Betsy DeVos lift the veil on their $139M in philanthropy", "America's Top 50 Givers: Meet the philanthropists who gave away the most money in 2015", "Betsy Devos wants to use America's schools to build "God's kingdom", "Trump's Education Pick Betsy DeVos Criticized for Donating Millions to Christian Organizations", "Speaker at Group Supported By Betsy DeVos Says Hitler Was Good at Reaching Children", "Betsy DeVos, Trump's Education Pick, Could Make Life Hell for LGBT Youth", "Betsy DeVos: Friend of "the Family" and Faith-Based Education - TheHumanist.com", "Group Funded by Trump's Education Secretary Pick: 'Bring Back Child Labor', "Dick and Betsy DeVos donate $22.5million to Kennedy Center training program in Washington", "Kennedy Center gets $22.5million gift from DeVos family", "Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Gets $22.5M Gift from DeVos Family", "How a Quirky Art Prize Tied to the DeVos Family Went Political", "Betsy DeVos: 'I did not want a place in Florida, but we fell in love with Windsor', "Six Future Northwood University Students Receive the Betsy and Dick DeVos Scholarship for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship", To Trump's education pick, the U.S. public school system is a 'dead end', "Paul Rolly: Pro-voucher group fined $5.2 million", "DeVos PAC fined record $5.2million by Ohio elections board", "School choice expanding as record fine languishes", "Democratic senators press Trump's education pick Betsy DeVos to pay years-old $5.3million fine", "Observers say latest affirmative action ruling may be overturned, but battle goes on in Michigan", "Group questions why right-wing Republican group is behind ads supporting Democrat Pam Byrnes", "Betsy DeVos to Address American Federation for Children", "100 Most Influential Women: Betsy DeVos", "Betsy DeVos and the Wrong Way to Fix Schools", "When Evidence and Science are Really Just Assumptions and Ideology", "Betsy DeVos Used Cherry-Picked Graduation Rates for Cyber Charters", "We Need to Talk About the Betsy DeVos Cartoon", "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Addresses Twitter Typos", "Randy Rainbow Sits Down with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos", "Trump's presidency turns into a musical mockery on 'RuPaul's Drag Race', "Thank you, Betsy DeVos, for leading GOP charge against Dave Agema", "The Ultra-Rich, Ultra-Conservative DeVos Family", "Betsy DeVos, billionaire philanthropist, picked as Trump education secretary", "Faltering Economy Obstacle for Granholm", "God bless vouchers The DeVos family's crusade to change public education", Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Betsy_DeVos&oldid=1139825443, Women members of the Cabinet of the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2017, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 02:49. DeVos ran for governor of Michigan in 2006, but lost to Democrat Jennifer Granholm. He was 92. "[90], In April 2017, DeVos praised the president's nomination of Carlos G. Muiz as the department's general counsel. 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. An unrelenting optimist, DeVos is convinced that people can solve most of their problems by taking personal responsibility." [153][154], DeVos has served as chairperson, board member, and treasurer of the Acton Institute and headed the All Children Matter PAC. [4] He was educated at Grand Rapids Christian School,[5] and at Calvin College, and was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. [114][115][116][117], In October 2017, DeVos revoked 72 guidance documents of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services which outlined the rights of disabled students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act. "It's this kind of planning, a continual reinvention with clear goals," wrote a CNN journalist, "that has been lacking in Detroit. He was involved in the family business, Amway, even as a child. "[4], In a talk given in Washington, D.C., in January 2013, under the auspices of the Heritage Foundation, DeVos discussed the passage of so-called "Right to Work" legislation in Michigan. DeVos later acknowledged racism as an important factor in the history of historically black colleges. Salesmanship is how DeVos grew Amway, the company he cofounded in 1959, from a meager soap business into a multibillion-dollar worldwide conglomerate. Served as an important factor in the family business, Amway, the company he cofounded in,. 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