Perry Richardson Bass (November 11, 1914 – June 1, 2006) was an American heir, investor, philanthropist and

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

Early life

Perry Richardson Bass was born on November 11, 1914, in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accord ...

.Leslie Wayne
Perry R. Bass, 91, Patriarch of Famed Texas Oil Family, Dies
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', June 2, 2006Perry Bass, 91; Texas Oil Heir Invested Well and Gave Generously
''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', June 02, 2006Kimbell Art Museum: The Collection of Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass
/ref> He was educated at

The Hill School The Hill School (commonly known as The Hill) is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (TSAO). ...

in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology in 1937.

Career

He worked for his uncle, Sid W. Richardson, a rancher and oil wildcatter, in the 1940s and 1950s.Perry Richardson Bass, billionaire philanthropist
''

The Houston Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', June 2, 2006 Upon his uncle's death, he inherited his oil and ranching interests, worth several million dollars.

Philanthropy

As a result of good investments, Bass was worth US$1 billion by 2005 and was the 746th-wealthiest American citizen. He became a philanthropist. He funded the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

. In 1991, he donated US$1 million to 50 institutions. The Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Center in

Palacios, Texas Palacios ( ) is a city in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,395 at the 2020 census. Etymology Popular local legend states that the area was named Tres Palacios ("Three Palaces") several centuries ago by shipwrecked Span ...

is named in his honor. With his wife, he has donated art to the

Kimbell Art Museum The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts an art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, w ...

in Fort Worth. The collection includes ''Street in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer'' and ''Enclosed Field with Plowman'' by

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...

as well as ''Fruit Dish, Bottle, and Guitar'' by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

. It also includes paintings by

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. Durin ...

, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir,

Édouard Vuillard Jean-Édouard Vuillard (; 11 November 186821 June 1940) was a French painter, decorative artist and printmaker. From 1891 through 1900, he was a prominent member of the Nabis, making paintings which assembled areas of pure color, and interior sc ...

, Pierre Bonnard,

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

, Joan Miró, Fernand Léger, Marc Chagall and

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko (), born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz (russian: Ма́ркус Я́ковлевич Ротко́вич, link=no, lv, Markuss Rotkovičs, link=no; name not Anglicized until 1940; September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Lat ...

as well as sculptures by Auguste Rodin,

Aristide Maillol Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol (; December 8, 1861 – September 27, 1944) was a French Sculpture, sculptor, Painting, painter, and printmaking, printmaker.Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette . "Maillol, Aristide". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford ...

and Simon Segal. He was a leading syndicate member of the unsuccessful 1974

America’s Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

defender candidate, ''Mariner'', helmed by

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he fo ...

Sailor

Perry built his own wooden

Snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a ...

sailboat; in 1935, while studying at Yale, he won the Snipe class world sailing championship.AP
Bass Family Story a Texas Legend
''The Victoria Advocate'', November 26, 1984Rob Patterson
Perry Richardson Bass: Wildcatter with a Giving Nature
''SHALE Oil & Gas Business Magazine'', January 27, 2015 A one-time Vice Commodore of the Houston Yacht Club and a proud longtime member of the Del Rey Yacht Club, he was honorary navigator for

's "American Eagle" when it won the Southern Ocean Racing Circuit and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1972.Leslie Wayne
Perry R. Bass, 91, Patriarch of Famed Texas Oil Family, Dies
''The New York Times'', June 2, 2006

Personal life

He married Nancy Lee Muse in 1941. They had four sons, all notable businessmen and philanthropists, and all billionaires:

Sid Bass Sid Richardson Bass (born April 9, 1942) is an American billionaire investor and philanthropist. Early life Sid Richardson Bass was born on April 9, 1942. His father, Perry Richardson Bass (died 2006), built an oil fortune with uncle, Sid W. ...

(born 1942), Ed Bass (born 1945),

Robert Bass Robert Muse Bass (born 19 March 1948) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He was the chairman of Aerion Corporation, an American aerospace firm in Reno, Nevada. In 2018 he had a net worth of $5 billion. Bass has served on ...

(born 1948) and

Lee Bass Lee Marshall Bass (born 1956) is an American businessman and philanthropist. Early life Lee Bass was born in 1956. His father was Perry Richardson Bass, an investor and philanthropist, and his mother, Nancy Lee Bass, was a philanthropist. His gre ...

(born 1956)

Death

He died on June 1, 2006, in Fort Worth, Texas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bass, Perry Richardson 1914 births 2006 deaths People from Wichita Falls, Texas People from Fort Worth, Texas The Hill School alumni Yale College alumni American investors Philanthropists from Texas American art collectors American billionaires Bass family Snipe class world champions American male sailors (sport) World champions in sailing for the United States