The Billionaire Who Wasn't - by Conor O'Clery (Paperback)

About the Book

In this tale of one of the greatest untold retail triumphs of the 20th century, O'Clery recounts how Chuck Feeney, founder of Duty Free Shoppers, the worlds largest duty-free retail chain, made--and then gave away--a fortune without anyone knowing.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"A gripping read."--Sunday Business Post

"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

"An interesting and well-written book defining a man whom most of us have never heard of."--Library Journal

"Chuck Feeney is a remarkable role model, and the ultimate example of giving while living."--Bill Gates

"Chuck Feeney's success in business, coupled with his commitment to philanthropy, stands as living proof that it is possible to do well and do good at the same time."--Bill Clinton

"Dublin-based journalist O'Clery presents an archetypal American success story, a rags-to-riches account with a twist...A smart business book detailing some vicissitudes of retailing, wrapped in a vivid biography of an engaging tycoon."--Kirkus Reviews

"Feeney's beneficence already ranks among the grandest of any living American and may someday make him the most generous American philanthropist of all time."--Time

"For Americas new generation of Internet and private equity billionaires, this is an exemplary tale."--FT.com

"If [Conor O'Clery's] compelling narrative becomes a blue-print for future efforts to record the life stories of philanthropists, then the reading public might become far more aware of the major donors who have existed in their midst. O'Clery's account of how Charles 'Chuck' Feeney rose from a blue-collar New Jersey neighbourhood to immense riches as founder of global retail enterprise Duty Free Shoppers, and then gave almost every cent away, reads like a cross between a whodunnit and an airport business guru book."--Philanthropy UK

"The riveting story of a billionaire who gave it all away disturbs deeply rooted assumptions about wealth and power...What makes him so fascinating, and gives such richness to O'Clery's brilliantly engrossing account, is that Feeney both embodies and rebukes the American Dream. O'Clery turns his prodigious research and mastery of sometimes intricate detail into a tight, pacey, crystal-clear narrative...An epic tale."--Irish Times

"You may never read a book as uplifting as Conor O'Clery's The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune. In vivid, unvarnished prose, The Billionaire Who Wasn't recounts Feeney's meteoric rise from blue-collar beginnings in Elizabeth, N.J., to a perch as one of America's titans of commerce, head of Duty Free Shoppers, the largest liquor retailer in the world."--Washington Post's Express

About the Author

Conor O'Clery is an award-winning journalist and author who served as foreign correspondent for the Irish Times in London, Moscow, Beijing, Washington, and New York. He has written books on Russian, Irish, and American politics. He now lives in Dublin, Ireland.