Books

The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune

By Conor O'Clery

A more inspiring tale may be found in The Billionaire Who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune (Public Affairs) by Irish journalist Conor O’Clery. In what reviewer Michelle Conlin called “a superbly written page-turner,” O’Clery chronicles the fascinating life of a most unusual Samaritan. Through the 1970s and ’80s, Chuck Feeney and partner Robert Miller built Duty Free Shoppers into an international behemoth. Meanwhile, Feeney decided to give his wealth steadily away, transferring his share of Duty Free to an offshore foundation whose grants are cloaked in secrecy. His “giving while living” approach has had broad impact, influencing the likes of Bill Gates.