Early Life
Lee Marshall Bass was born in 1956. He is the son of Perry Richardson Bass, an investor and philanthropist, and Nancy Lee Bass. His great-uncle was oil baron Sid Richardson. Bass graduated from Yale University in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts and received a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1982.
Rise to Success
Lee Bass and his three brothers inherited $2.8 million each in 1959 from their uncle, oil tycoon Sid Richardson. Bass parlayed this stake into a substantial fortune through oil and energy investments. In 2017, the four Bass brothers sold their oil company to ExxonMobil for $5.6 billion in stock. He has also served in various leadership positions, including commissioner and chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Key Business Strategies
Bass's investment strategy has focused on oil and energy, leading to his significant wealth. His investments in oil and energy have been a key factor in his financial success. The sale of their oil company to ExxonMobil in 2017, for a substantial amount in stock, further solidified their financial position.
Philanthropy
Lee Bass is also involved in philanthropy. He serves on the boards of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, The Peregrine Fund, and Vanderbilt University. He is a founding director of the International Rhino Foundation. In 1991, he donated $20 million to Yale University to start a new program in Western civilization, though the program was later canceled. Along with his wife, Ramona Bass, he founded the Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation in 1993, which supports various causes. He has also supported Republican politicians.
