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. Betsy DeVos is the daughter of Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, who contributed $450,000 . DeVos and her husband founded it in 1989. The first thing DeVos ever sold was a batch of onions. By contrast, "big union bosses have engaged in cozy deals and political backroom dealings in order to advance their personal agendas, not those of their members," They focused especially on Michigan's Proposition 2, which would protect collective bargaining. DETROIT . On November 7, 2006, DeVos was defeated by Democratic incumbent Jennifer Granholm by a 14-point margin. He was 92. He was involved in the family business, Amway, even as a child. They've got to go if we want to help manufacturing and bring jobs back to Michigan." Dick was born on 21 October, 1955. After conducting "a feasibility and economic-impact analysis," DeVos worked with two local bankers to set the plan in motion. But when, at age 88, Rich DeVos took to the last of his several memoirs to call his grandfather a huckster, he said it with love and admirationan honorable profession, not one of trickery or flimflam. DeVos supported the candidacies of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich. In 2006, DeVos ran for Governor of Michigan, but lost to the then-incumbent Democrat Jennifer Granholm. Their son, Rick, is the founder and chairman of ArtPrize, a world-renowned art competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. [120] The organization held a meeting on March 28 and a gathering of school shooting survivors and families on April 17. For DeVos, the American way meant a country that embraced the free-enterprise system, exalted God and held true to conservative Christian principles (This country was built on a religious heritage, he wrote in Believe!, and wed better get back to it.). Publishers Weekly described it as follows: "Drawing on inspirational anecdotes taken from a cross section of the population, he describes how people have bettered themselves both morally and in their careers by practicing such values as honesty, compassion, self-discipline, initiative, hard work, charity and forgiveness. DP Fox and RDV are all in the same Grand Rapids, Mich., building as Sterling Fox, the entity that owns the Superior Street site. One of his daughters-in . [16][39], The foundation has also given money to organizations that promote free-market economics, such as the Grand Rapids-based Acton Institute; the Heritage Foundation; and the Hudson Institute. [31][32] Former Fuller Seminary president Richard Mouw, with whom DeVos served on a committee, said she is influenced by Dutch neo-Calvinist theologian Abraham Kuyper, a founding figure in Christian Democracy political ideology. "The unintended consequences of Proposal 2 will result in a $1.6-billion annual tax hike," said DeVos. [25][26], DeVos was educated at the Holland Christian High School, a private school located in her home town of Holland, Michigan. DeVos's husband and John Walton then founded All Children Matter, a political organization, which she chaired. He is married to Pamella Roland DeVos and the couple has three children together, Casey, Sydney and Cole. Clark asked if she would inform Indiana that it could not discriminate in that way if it accepted federal funding, and asked her how she would respond in the event a voucher school rejected black students but a state "said it was okay." He and his Amway cofounder, Jay Van Andel, opened the Institute for Free Enterprise, a pro-capitalism advocacy group that worked to get free-market lesson plans taught in schools nationwide, and founded Citizens Choice, a short-lived answer to Ralph Naders Common Cause group. [128], On May 10, 2017, DeVos gave a commencement speech at BethuneCookman University, a historically black college, and during her speech a majority of the students booed DeVos, with about half of them standing up and turning their backs to her. [19], DeVos was a major donor to the U.S. Republican Party and to conservative causes, including Focus on the Family, and the American Enterprise Institute. Regarding the withdrawal of the department's team, former Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, "That's a waste of taxpayer money. They further expanded into Ukraine (2003), Russia (2005) and Vietnam (2008). She and her husband worked for the successful passage of Michigan's first charter-school bill in 1993,[27] and for the unsuccessful effort in 2000 to amend Michigan's constitution to allow tax-credit scholarships or vouchers. His father, Richard DeVos Sr., cofounded Amway in 1959 alongside his high school friend, Jay Van Andel. [139], DeVos was listed for many years on IRS form Form 990s as the foundation's vice president (hitherto called the Edgar and Elsa Prince Foundation). [36], A March 2010 article reported that the idea for the school had been Betsy DeVos's. Betsy, the daughter of auto parts magnate Edgar Prince and sister of Blackwater founder Erik Prince, owes the vast majority of her fortune to her marriage to Dick DeVos. Among Donald Trumps historically rich cabinet members, Betsy DeVos is the richest. I hear it from business people everywhere I go in this state. Furthermore, we expect the Republican Party to use the money to promote these policies and, yes, to win elections. We knew this was going to be an important part of our future, but also an opportunity." He was 92. They built Amway. Criticizing Granholm's economic policies, he said that in her place "I would have sent a very different signal to the entire regulatory infrastructure of the state, and would have taken steps to make this state more business friendly." [14][23] She is of Dutch ancestry. [27] The DeVoses were known in their philanthropy for contributing to education, health care, arts and historic causes like Mount Vernon, and conservative think tanks such as The Heritage Foundation and AEI. According to Harris, she designed a system with no oversight in which schools that do poorly can continue to enroll students. He and his high school friend Jay Van Andel (d. 2004) started Amway (short for "American Way") in 1959, selling. 'I said, "Why don't you combine both of these passionsa passion for education, for kids and a passion for flyingin a school."'" Stahl added, "The public schools here are doing worse than they did." It's a monopoly, a dead end. Ahead of the 1980 election, radio host Paul Harvey, whose show was sponsored by Amway for many years, floated Rich DeVos as a potential candidate for president. They bought the manufacturing and distribution rights for Frisk, an organic cleaner, developed by an Ohio scientist and renamed it as Liquid Organic Cleaner or LOC. ", DeVos defended the charter school system using graduation rates that were significantly higher than those used for state and federal accountability purposes. 130 E. Randolph St. Richard DeVos cofounded direct-selling giant Amway. Under Dick Devos, the firm expanded operations to more than 50 countries and territories on six continents. [194][195][196], Betsy DeVos's brother, Erik Prince, a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, is the founder of Blackwater USA, a private military services contractor.[23][197][198]. [91], In April 2017, DeVos named Candice Jackson Deputy Assistant Secretary in the department's Office for Civil Rights, where she will be acting assistant secretary while that higher, Senate-confirmed appointment is vacant. Dan DeVos is a businessman in his own right, and he's most well known for his role as CEO of DP Fox. Marshals Service said after a threat evaluation was conducted in February that DeVos would be given additional security, projecting a cost of $7.8million between February and September 2017. Rich and Helen DeVos built a legacy of giving, and this prioritydriven by faith and compassionis reflected in the lives and mission of their family. [25], He co-founded the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, an American conservative foundation and grant-making body in 1970. ", Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Republican Party presidential primaries for the 2016 election, Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson, Betsy DeVos Education Secretary Confirmation Hearing, Betsy DeVos's confirmation hearing, in three minutes, Final Vote in the Senate for Confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, National Assessment of Educational Progress, List of female United States Cabinet members, "Betsy DeVos: 5 faith facts to know about the Education secretary", "Betsy DeVos, Trump's education pick, is a billionaire with deep ties to the Christian Reformed community", "Trump's education pick says reform can 'advance God's Kingdom', "A Sea of Charter Schools in Detroit Leaves Students Adrift", "Trump's education secretary pick led group that owes millions in election fines", "Trump Picks Betsy DeVos, Daughter-in-Law of Billionaire Amway Cofounder, for Education Secretary", "How Betsy DeVos Could Fix America's Broken Education System", "Investor pleads guilty in philanthropist fraud case,", "'I'm Tired of America Wasting Our Blood and Treasure' The Strange Ascent of Betsy DeVos and Erik Prince,", Trump's education secretary pick supported anti-gay causes, "Trump picks billionaire Betsy DeVos, school voucher advocate, as education secretary", "Senate committee approves DeVos nomination", "Betsy DeVos Confirmed as Education Secretary; Pence Breaks Tie", "Pence Becomes First VP to Break Senate Tie over Cabinet Nomination", "Mike Pence's Vote on a Cabinet Nominee Would Be Historic", "Schumer, Pelosi Call for Trump's Removal After Capitol Riot", "Amway heir Dick and Betsy DeVos move into sprawling 22,000-square-foot mansion", "How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics", "Betsy DeVos and the Plan to Break Public Schools", "What you need to know about Betsy DeVos", "Interview with Betsy DeVos, the Reformer", "Michigan Multi-Millionaire Betsy DeVos Is A Four-Star General in a Deceptive Behind-The-Scenes War on Public Schools And Church-State Separation", "Onward Christian Cabinet: Trump's White House Picks Are a Christmas Gift for the Religious Right", "U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Statement for Completion by Executive Branch Nominees", "Profiles: Organizational Donor: Elizabeth DeVos", "Affirmative action initiative poses problems for politicians", "Voters in California And Michigan Face Referenda on Voucher Aid To Religious Schools", "Michigan Gubernatorial Candidate Urges Bush to Meet With Big Three Automakers", "Bush attends fund-raiser in Grand Rapids", DeVos family political giving nears $10 million prior to 2016 election, Betsy DeVos, billionaire philanthropist, picked as Trump education secretary, "Most Americans want to limit campaign spending, say big donors have greater political influence", "What Betsy DeVos Did (and Didn't) Reveal About Her Education Priorities", "Betsy DeVos: Everything You Need to Know", "Betsy DeVos Lost More on Theranos than the Average American Will Make in 100 Lifetimes", "Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aime Semple McPherson Broadway @ Neil Simon Theatre Tickets and Discounts", "Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson", "Betsy DeVos Invests in a Therapy Under Scrutiny", "Grade Point Betsy DeVos's ethics review raises further questions for Democrats and watchdogs", "Pick for U.S. education secretary rankles autism community", "Betsy DeVos Won't Shed Stake in Biofeedback Company, Filings Show", "Democrats request another hearing for DeVos, Trump's education pick, before confirmation vote", "TINA.ORG FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST 'BRAIN TRAINING' COMPANY NEUROCORE", "Neurocore, LLC's Unapproved Medical Device", "Neurocore, LLC's Use of Unsubstantiated Medical Treatment Claims", "Meet Betsy DeVos, the polarizing charter-school advocate Trump has tapped as education secretary", "Why is Betsy DeVos, Trump's pick for education secretary, so unpopular? This was the first time in U.S. history that a Cabinet nominee's confirmation was decided by the vice president's tiebreaking vote.[19][20][21]. [124][125][126], Subsequent to the incident, the U.S. Among its grantees are Kids Hope USA; the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital; the West Michigan Aviation Academy; the Regional Air Alliance of West Michigan; Mars Hill Bible Church; Potter's House; Grand Rapids Christian Schools; the Thunderbird School of Global Management; Willow Creek Association; ArtPrize Grand Rapids; the Education Freedom Fund; the Hugh Michael Beahan Foundation; Children First America; Florida P.R.I.D.E; New Urban Living; Rehoboth Christian School; Calvin College; Princeton University; Davenport University; Grove City College; Hope College; Little Star Inc.;[34] the American Education Reform Council; and Choices for Children. Promote these policies and, yes, to win elections the charter school system using graduation that. 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