Jump to content

Thomas E. Leavey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by GrahamHardy (talk | contribs) at 22:03, 25 November 2016 (removed Category:People from Humboldt County, California; added Category:People from Ferndale, California using HotCat). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Thomas Leavey
Born1897
DiedMarch 29, 1980
Los Angeles County, California
EducationSanta Clara University
Georgetown University School of Law
Occupation(s)Business executive, philanthropist
SpouseDorothy Leavey
ChildrenKathleen McCarthy Kostlan

Thomas E. Leavey (1897-1980) was an American business executive, rancher, and philanthropist.

Biography

Early life

Born near Ferndale, Humboldt County, California to Irish immigrants, he attended Santa Clara University and served briefly in the U. S. Army during the final months of World War I.[1] In 1923, he received a bachelor's degree from the Georgetown University School of Law and relocated to Los Angeles two years later.

Career

In 1928, he co-founded the company that became the Farmers Insurance Group with John C. Tyler.

Philanthropy

With his wife, Dorothy Leavey, he established the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation in 1952. The Leavey Foundation has donated more than $100 million to support educational, religious, and other institutions.

Death

He died on March 29, 1980 at the age of 82. Dorothy Leavey died in January 1998 at the age of 101.

References

  1. ^ "Sunday Profile -- A Quiet Force" (Dorothy Leavey) LA Times, 1994-10-30. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  1. Dunkley, John. A History of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies. Los Angeles: Farmers Insurance Group, 1993.
  2. Brown, Kathi. Sound Thinking and Lofty Ideals: The First Seventy Five Years of Farmers Insurance. Los Angeles: Farmers Insurance Group, 2003.
  3. ‘Welcome to Old West End’ by James Pegolotti; The Humboldt Historian: Vol. 56, No. 3; Fall, 2008.
  4. “The Personal File of Thomas E. Leavey.” (A brief memoir compiled in the 1970s and preserved in the Thomas E. Leavey Archives.)