Herbert Allen Jr.
American businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Herbert A. Allen Jr. (born 1940) is an American businessman and former president of Allen & Company.
Herbert A. Allen Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1940 (age 85–86) |
| Education | Williams College (B.A.) |
| Known for | Former president of Allen & Company |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, including Herbert Allen III |
| Father | Herbert A. Allen Sr. |
Biography
Herbert Allen Jr. is the son of Kathleen and Herbert A. Allen Sr. His father was a high school drop out and stock trader who joined[1] in 1927 an investment firm founded in 1922 by his older brother Charles, Allen & Company.[2] Allen & Company specialized in corporate buyouts.[1][3] A third brother Harold joined soon after.[4] Allen Jr. has one sister, Susan Allen.[1] His mother was an Irish Catholic and his father - although the son of a Jewish mother - was a non-practicing Unitarian.[5]
Allen Jr. was raised in Irvington, New York[5] and graduated from Williams College in 1962 and immediately joined Allen & Company. In 1966, at age twenty-seven, he was appointed President.[6] In 1973, Allen & Company purchased a controlling interest in Columbia Pictures.[7] In 1982, Allen & Company launched the Sun Valley Conference and The Coca-Cola Company bought Columbia for $750 million in cash and stock[7] giving Allen Jr. a seat on the Board of Directors.[2]
In 2002, Allen Jr. ceded control of the firm to his son Herbert Allen III.[7]
Philanthropy
In 1998, he donated $20 million to Williams College.[8]
Personal life
Allen has been married and divorced three times. His first wife was Laura Parrish;[7] they have four children: Herbert Allen III is married to Monica de la Torre, a public-interest lawyer and native of Puerto Rico;[7] Charles Allen works at Allen & Co. as an institutional salesman[7] and in 2005, married Kristin Wheat Fisher in a Methodist ceremony;[9] Leslie Allen; and Christie Allen.[7] His second wife was Broadway dancer Ann Reinking,[7] whom he married in 1982 and divorced in 1989. After 1989 he married and has since divorced Gail Holmes. He resides in Cody, Wyoming.[10]