John Arrillaga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Arrillaga
Born1937 (age 83–84)[1]
EducationStanford University
OccupationReal estate developer, Philanthropist
Spouse(s)
Frances Marion Cook Arrillaga
​
​
(m. 1968; died 1995)​
  • Gioia Fasi Arrillaga
Children
RelativesMarc Andreessen (son-in-law)
Websitewww.peery-arrillaga.com

John Arrillaga (born 1937) is a billionaire American real estate developer and philanthropist. He is one of the largest landowners in Silicon Valley.[2]

Early life[]

John Arrillaga is one of five children born into a lower-middle-class home with his mother, Freida, and father, Gabriel, who traced his roots to the Basque region.[2][3] He attended Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, and graduated in 1955. He attended Stanford University on a basketball scholarship, and was a first-team All-AAWU selection in 1960. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta, and graduated in 1960 with a bachelor's degree in geography .[1]

Career[]

In the 1960s, Arrillaga and business partner Richard Peery bought California farmland and converted it into office space.[1] They became two of Silicon Valley's biggest commercial landlords with more than 12,000,000 square feet (1,100,000 m2).[4]

In 2006, he sold 5,300,000 sq ft (490,000 m2) of his real estate holdings for roughly $1.1 billion.[1]

In 2020, he ranked No. 339 on the Forbes 400 list of the richest people in America. In October 2020, his net worth was $2.5 billion.[5]

Philanthropy[]

Arrillaga is known for his support of Stanford University.[6] The alumni center, the Frances C. Arrillaga Building, is named in memory of his first wife, and other athletic facilities carry his surname. In May 2006, Arrillaga gave $100 million to Stanford.[7]

In June 2013, he donated $151 million to Stanford, the largest individual donation from a living donor in the university's history.[8][1]

Personal life[]

In 1968, Arrillaga married Frances Marion Cook Arrillaga, a teacher and librarian.[9] She died on October 13, 1995, in her Palo Alto home of lung cancer at age 54.[9] They had two children together, John Jr. and Laura.[9] Their daughter Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen is married to Marc Andreessen, who co-authored the Mosaic and Netscape web browsers, and is co-founder of several web technology enterprises. His son John Arrillaga, Jr. is married to Justine Stamen Arrillaga, founder of the TEAK Fellowship.[10]

After the death of his first wife, Arrillaga later married Gioia Fasi, a former lawyer from Honolulu, Hawaii. They reside in Portola Valley, California.[2][1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Forbes profile: John Arrillaga". Forbes. November 10, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Mangalindan, JP (July 7, 2014). "The secretive billionaire who built Silicon Valley". Fortune. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "Basque Studies Debut" Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine (March/April 2007) Stanford Magazine. Retrieved 05 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Forbes World's Richest People 2003". Forbes. 2003.
  5. ^ "John Arrillaga". Forbes. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  6. ^ Fainaru-Wada, Mark (February 25, 2001). "Silent Partner / Billionaire Arrillaga has quietly been the primary benefactor behind Stanford's athletic success". San Francisco Chronicle.
  7. ^ "Arrillaga gives $100 million to Stanford in largest single gift ever from individual". . May 26, 2006.
  8. ^ Stangel, Luke. "John Arrillaga writes $150 million check to Stanford, the largest donation from a living individual ever". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c "Deaths:Frances Arrillaga, philanthropist and volunteer". www.paloaltoonline.com. October 13, 1995. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  10. ^ "2012 In-Kind Gifts & Special Thanks". TEAK Fellowship. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
Retrieved from ""