Harry W. Bass Jr. Explained

Harry W. Bass Jr.
Birth Name:Harry Wesley Bass Jr.
Birth Date:January 6, 1927
Birth Place:Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Death Date:April 4, 1998 (aged 71)
Death Place:Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Restingplace:Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery
Education:St. Mark's School of Texas
Alma Mater:Southern Methodist University
Occupation:Businessman
Party:Republican
Spouse:
  • Mary Mathewson
  • Doris Wampler Calhoun
Parents:Harry W. Bass Sr.
Wilma Schuessler
Relatives:Richard Bass (brother)

Harry Wesley Bass Jr. (January 6, 1927  - April 4, 1998),[1] was an American businessman, coin collector, and philanthropist. He was active in the Texas Republican Party during the late 1950s when the state was still dominated by the Democratic Party.

In 1970, Bass and his brother Richard inherited the Goliad Oil and Gas Corporation. Bass invested in ski resorts in Aspen and Vail, Colorado. He was the main developer of the Beaver Creek Resort in Beaver Creek. He also amassed one of the world's great coin collections[2] and served as the president of the American Numismatic Society.

Early life

Bass was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His father, Harry W. Bass Sr., was a co-founder of the Goliad Corporation and the Goliad Oil and Gas Corporation in Duncanville, near Dallas, Texas.[3] [4] He had a brother, Richard Bass.[5]

Bass was educated at the St. Mark's School of Texas, then known as the Texas Country Day School.[6] He attended Southern Methodist University.[6] During World War II, he served in the South Pacific with the United States Navy.[6]

Career

Bass started his career in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for his father's oil and gas companies.[6]

Bass launched a voter data-collection company and served as the finance chairman of the Republican Party of Dallas County in the late 1950s.[3] The company proved to be a financial failure.[3] He was elected chairman of the Dallas County GOP in 1957, but resigned later that year.[7] By 1960, alongside Republican U.S. Representative Bruce Alger of Texas's 5th congressional district, he staged a demonstration against Democratic U.S. Senator (later President) Lyndon B. Johnson when the latter visited Dallas.[8] [9] He was a delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention.[6]

Bass co-owned H. W. Bass and Sons, a private company headquartered in Dallas.[3] He also invested in the development of ski resorts in Aspen, Colorado, in 1955.[3] Later, he owned 7 percent of the Aspen Ski Corporation with his brother. He invested in the development of Vail and became majority shareholder of Vail Associates, Inc., with 57 percent in 1978. He served as its chairman by 1979. He expanded his holdings to include Beaver Creek Resort.[3]

Numismatics and philanthropy

Bass began collecting coins in the middle 1960s.[10] He regularly attended coin auctions.[11]

By 1976, he had invested "millions of dollars" in coins.[10] He added that he had 25 per cent of my portfolio in coins," mostly of which were gold coins from the 19th century to 1933. They were held in a trust.[10] He became a member of the American Numismatic Society in 1966.[12] By 1979, he was its president.[3]

Bass founded the Harry W. Bass Jr. Research Foundation in 1991.[13] One of its goals was to support numismatics.[13] A$40 million gift from the foundation to The University of Texas at Dallas was announced by the university on May 9, 2023. It was also announced that the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology would be renamed in his honor.[14]

Personal life

Bass married Mary Mathewson in 1947.[6] He later married Doris Wampler Calhoun.[15]

Death and legacy

Bass died on April 4, 1998, in Dallas and is interred at the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery. Shortly after his death, the Harry W. Bass Jr. Research Foundation was merged with his late father's philanthropic foundation, the Harry Bass Foundation, to form the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation.[13]

The endowment comes from oil investments as well as the proceeds from auctions of his coin collection.[13] For example, thirty coins from his collection were auctioned in 2014 in Dallas.[16]

Notes and References

  1. News: Paid Notice: Deaths BASS, HARRY WESLEY, JR. . 15 October 2019 . 6 April 1998.
  2. Web site: Bucki. James. Top 5 Famous Coin Collections of All Time. The Spruce. 25 March 2017.
  3. News: Heinsen. Lindsay. Owning a Piece Of the Rockies: How Harry Bass got to be king of the mountain. January 17, 2016. D Magazine. February 1979.
  4. News: Oil Executive Dies In Dallas . January 17, 2016 . . Odessa, Texas . February 19, 1970 . 51 . registration . . https://web.archive.org/web/20170212001902/https://www.newspapers.com/image/63988588/?terms=%22Harry%2BW.%2BBass%2C%2BJr.%22 . February 12, 2017 . dead .
  5. News: Peppard. Alan. Granberry. Michael. Dallas exec and mountain climber Dick Bass dies at 85. January 17, 2016. The Dallas Morning News. https://web.archive.org/web/20160101150605/http://www.dallasnews.com/obituary-headlines/20150727-dallas-businessman-and-adventurer-dick-bass-dies-at-85.ece. January 1, 2016. dead.
  6. Web site: Elam. Leslie A. Harry W. Bass, Jr. Biography. Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation. January 17, 2016.
  7. News: Bass Quits GOP Post . January 17, 2016. Brownwood Bulletin. Brownwood, Texas . December 13, 1957 . 8. registration . Newspapers.com.
  8. News: Lyndon Bitter At GOP Dallas Rudeness. January 17, 2016. The Eagle. Bryan, Texas. November 6, 1960 . 1 . registration . Newspapers.com.
  9. News: Rude Reception Is Given L.B.J. Friday In Dallas . January 17, 2016. The Mexia Daily News. Mexia, Texas. November 6, 1960. 1. registration . Newspapers.com.
  10. News: Reif. Rita. Coin collectors an optimistic bunch. January 17, 2016. Corpus Christi Caller Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. April 7, 1976. Harry W. Bass Jr., an oil producer who flew to New York to bid on dozens of gold coins at the recent sale, observed the other day that he is not certain what return he has made on the millions of dollars he has invested in coins since he started buying 10 years ago.. 25. registration . Newspapers.com.
  11. News: Coin Game Stakes And Players Vary. January 17, 2016. The Lincoln Star. April 18, 1976. 72. Lincoln, Nebraska. registration . Newspapers.com.
  12. Web site: HARRY W. BASS GALLERY. American Numismatic Association. January 17, 2016.
  13. Web site: History of the Foundation. Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation. January 17, 2016.
  14. Web site: Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation Makes $40 Million Gift to UT Dallas . Office of the President, The University of Texas at Dallas. May 9, 2023.
  15. Web site: Paid Notice: Deaths BASS, HARRY WESLEY, JR. . . 8 November 2019.
  16. News: 30 coins from 19th century to sell at Rosemont auction. January 17, 2016. Daily Herald. August 7, 2014.