William H. Ahmanson (October 12, 1925 – 2008) was an American chief executive, philatelist and philanthropist from

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He served as the chairman and chief executive officer of H. F. Ahmanson & Co. from 1969 to 1984. He also served as vice chairman of The Ahmanson Foundation.

Early life and education

William Hayden. Ahmanson was born on October 12, 1925, in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

.Longtime trustee of foundation
''The Los Angeles Times'', October 17, 2008 He had a brother, Robert H. Ahmanson.Jules Stein Eye Institute: Robert H. Ahmanson
/ref> His father served as president of the National American Insurance Co. of Omaha. His uncle,

Howard F. Ahmanson Sr. Howard Fieldstead Ahmanson Sr. (1906 – June 17, 1968) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of an insurance and savings and loan association, H.F. Ahmanson & Co. He made his fortune during the Great Depressio ...

, was the founder of H. F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance and savings and loans corporation based in Los Angeles. He graduated from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

(UCLA) with a bachelor's degree in business and finance in 1949.

Career

He served as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of H. F. Ahmanson & Co. from 1969 to 1984. He served on the board of trustees of The Ahmanson Foundation from 1952 to 2008. Over the course of his career, he supported many venues related to the arts and sciences, including the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, the California Institute of the Arts, and the

Doheny Eye Institute Doheny Eye Institute (Doheny Eye or DEI) established in 1947, is a nonprofit ophthalmic research institute. The doctors and scientists of Doheny Eye Institute undertake basic and clinical research, a role known as a physician-scientist. History I ...

. As a philatelist, he donated his extensive collection of Canadian stamps from British Columbia,

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland to the

National Postal Museum The National Postal Museum, located opposite Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States, covers large portions of the Postal history of the United States and other countries. It was established through joint agreement between the United S ...

. It is known as the "Ahmansion Collection."National Postal Museum: The Ahmansion Collection
/ref>

Personal life

He was married to Carol Ahmanson. They had eight children and twelve grandchildren. He died of

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

in 2008 in Malibu, California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmanson, William H. 1925 births 2008 deaths Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska People from Malibu, California American chief executives of financial services companies UCLA Anderson School of Management alumni American philatelists 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople