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

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/books/the-billionaire-who-wasnt/
- Published: 2007-08-30T12:01:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Conor O’Cleary, former New York correspondent for the Irish Times, has published
a biography of the remarkable philanthropist Chuck Feeney.**

After service in the Korean War Feeney made a fortune as founder of Duty Free Shoppers,
the world’s largest duty-free retail chain. While Forbes repeatedly listed him in
the wealthiest 400 people, he had quietly given away much of his fortune to a charitable
foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies.

[The book](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/10/19/new-book-captures-story-1-3-billion-grant-giving-ireland/)
describes how Feeney was heavily influenced by his attorney and adviser, Harvey 
Dale, who introduced him to the concept of giving-while-living.

It traces his approach to giving and how it developed. At first he kept his identity
quiet – Forbes described him as the James Bond of Philanthropy. It was only in 1997
when he sold his remaining duty free interests that his philanthropy became public
knowledge.

He also came round to the idea of promoting and encouraging giving. After initial
scepticism about the Gates’ Giving Pledge he came round to [signing it himself](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/03/11/chuck-feeney-joins-giving-pledge/)
in 2011.
By working – and it was hard work – to exhaust his foundation’s giving,
he famously told Warren Buffett “I want my last cheque to bounce”.