Foster Friess (pronounced "Freeze") almost certainly laughed at characterizations of him as the "George Soros of the right."
Although the Wyoming investor donated major dollars to conservative causes and candidates, he was certainly no Soros — who solely bankrolls numerous causes dear to the left and candidates down to the level of district attorney.
Right up to his death last week at age 81, Foster ("Don't you dare call me 'Mr. Friess!'") was amused by his introduction at conservative events as "the dynamic billionaire" — but his good heart kept him from correcting the enthusiastic master of ceremonies.
The "billionaire" label became a source of self-mockery for Friess, whose estimated net worth at the time of his death was $140 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Overall, his family said, he made contributions of $500 million in his life to scores of conservative causes and philanthropies.
After numerous social media outlets and blogs referred to him as "billionaire Foster Friess," he told The Washington Post in 2012: "My wife came to me and said, 'Have you been holding out on me?' People asked, 'So what are you — a multimillionaire?' I like to say a billionaire wanna-be."
A proud Christian, Friess' particular focus was on pro-family and pro-life organizations. Speaking at a banquet hosted by the Coalitions for America in 2009, he quoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel — "the minister’s daughter," in his words — that "some say the problem in Europe is too much Islam. I say the problem in Europe is too little Christianity."
In 2012, he was the premier bankroller of the presidential bid of former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., by far the most pro-family of the GOP hopefuls that year. More than a few in the conservative movement likened the close relationship between Friess and Santorum to that of multimillionaire Joseph P. Kennedy and his son Jack in his winning race for president in 1960.
But Friess was not monolithic on issues. In 2013, he hushed the audience at the National Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) by revealing he had a brother-in-law who was gay and had a partner.
"You've got people who are gay-bashers, who forget that these are human beings that need love just like all of us need love," Friess declared, referring to the contemporaneous Republican Party. "We have to be sensitive to that."
Avoiding the issue of same-sex marriage, he did say "it's unfair that people can't give assets to whoever they want. When I die, my assets can go to my wife. And a gay person — you ought to have a system where maybe you can just say, 'You can give your assets to anybody you want.'"
Born on a farm in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Friess was valedictorian of his high school class and excelled in basketball and track. At the University of Wisconsin, he was president of the Chi Phi Fraternity and voted among "10 most outstanding senior men" in Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC).
After training to be an infantry platoon leader and intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, the young Friess in 1964 joined a New York Stock Exchange firm based in Delaware and launched his career in investments.
A decade later, he and wife Lynette went out on their own and launched the investment firm of Friess Associates. After a slow start, the firm took off and skyrocketed to over $15.7 billion in managed assets. In 2001, the Friess-run firm joined forces with Affiliated Managers Group (AMG). Foster and Lynette Friess eventually sold much of it to AMG for an estimated $257 million and retained a 10% share.
This gave Friess the freedom to devote full-time to his favorite hobby: contributing. His political activities aside, the conservative activist gave considerably through the Friess Family Foundation to relief for the Indonesian Tsunami ($4 million) of 2004, Hurricane Katrina (2005), and the Haitian Earthquake (2010).
Having years ago relocated to Wyoming ("I loved the low taxes there"), Friess was long discussed as a candidate for office. He finally made his move at the age of 78 by seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2018.
In a four-candidate primary, Friess lost to State Treasurer (and present Gov.) Mark Gordon by 33% to 25%.
"Financially, he was very successful and gave generously to promote conservative principles," said Morton Blackwell, whose Leadership Institute benefited from Friess' support. "And Foster was a good man."
"He was a friend for years and a big supporter of the House Freedom Fund — the political arm of the Freedom Caucus," recalled former Heritage Foundation President and former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. "But you can't remember Foster without emphasizing that his heart was with Jesus. The hunting, fishing, and golfing trips he hosted were designed to be fun — but mostly to share the love of Jesus. Foster shared the love of Jesus — mostly without using words."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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