- Michael Armand Hammer
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Michael Armand Hammer Born September 8, 1955
Los Angeles, California, United StatesResidence Los Angeles, California, United States Nationality American Alma mater University of San Diego, Columbia University Occupation Businessman
PhilanthropistSpouse Dru Ann Mobley Hammer Children Armie Hammer, Viktor Hammer Michael Armand Hammer (born September 8, 1955) is an American philanthropist and businessman. He is the son of Julian Armand Hammer and the grandson of industrialist Armand Hammer.[1] Best known for his ties to Occidental Petroleum, the company of his late grandfather, Hammer oversees the Hammer International Foundation, the Armand Hammer Foundation, and owns numerous businesses that include Hammer Galleries, Knoedler Galleries in New York City and Hammer Productions, a television and film production company located in Los Angeles, California. As well, Hammer is the founder of Grace Christian Academy in the Cayman Islands and Christian Communications Association, a Christian radio station also in the Cayman Islands. Additionally, he sits on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles Dream Center and Pepperdine University, and also serves on the Investment Committee and Board of Reference for Oral Roberts University.[2]
Contents
Early life
Michael Armand Hammer was born on September 8, 1955, in Los Angeles, California.[2] He is the son of Glenna Sue (née Ervin) and Julian Armand Hammer;[3] and is the only grandson of Armand Hammer.[4] His paternal grandfather was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. His paternal grandmother, Russian-born actress Olga Von Root, was the daughter of a czarist general, Baron Vadin Nicholaievitch Root; Olga was descended from German nobles and from Polish-Lithuanian general Tadeusz Kościuszko.[5][6] His mother was a native of Texas.
He attended university at the University of San Diego, where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1978. He later graduated from Columbia University's School of Business in 1982 with a Master of Business Administration degree.[7]
Career
Before becoming involved with his grandfather's company, Occidental Petroleum, Hammer served in many different roles at the New York City securities and investment banking firm Kidder, Peabody & Co.,[8] which later was sold to PaineWebber, which ultimately merged with UBS AG in November 2000. He joined Occidental Petroleum in 1982 and served in various capacities in the company's outposts in Texas, Oklahoma, London, and Oman. In 1985, he moved to the corporation's headquarters in Los Angeles where he became a vice president, He shortly thereafter became a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, and served in those capacities until his departure from the company in 1991,[2] not long after the death of Armand Hammer. Since leaving Occidental, Hammer has worked with numerous companies, including OnVANTAGE, Inc. in 2000,[9] which was later acquired by the company StarCite, Inc., and Avenue Entertainment Group as a member of the Board following an investment in the company by Hammer International in 1999.[8]
As of the late 2000s, Hammer is chairman and CEO of the Armand Hammer Foundation, as well as president and CEO of the Hammer International Foundation. Additionally, Hammer is also the chairman of Hammer Galleries, and Knoedler Galleries in New York City, and the owner and chairman of 8-31 Holdings, Inc. He is also involved with the television and film producing company Hammer Productions, based in Los Angeles. He founded Grace Christian Academy and the Christian Communications Association, a not-for-profit Christian radio station, in the Cayman islands. He has served with many charitable, professional, and civic organizations, among them the Long-Range Planning Committee of the Western Los Angeles County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Development Committee of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, the Board of Overseers for Columbia University School of Business, the Starbright Foundation, and the Honorary Advisory Board for Stop Cancer.[2] He is also the Chairman Emeritus of The Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles, and is on the Board of Trustees of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Philanthropy
Mr. Hammer has been very active in numerous philanthropic activities. He is very private in his giving and does not seek public recognition. However, Mr. Hammer, together with his family foundation which he controls has recently contributed over $7 million to Oral Roberts University, and excess of $10 million dollars to the Dream Center Foundation in Los Angeles.
Personal life
Hammer married Dru Ann Mobley of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 12, 1985, at the First Methodist Church in Tulsa.[10] Dru graduated from Oklahoma State University and serves with her husband on many boards, including the Los Angeles Dream Center where she teaches Bible Study and is involved with programs geared toward discipleship. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Joyce Meyer Ministries.[11] Hammer became a Christian upon meeting and marrying his wife.[12]
Michael and Dru Hammer have two children: Actor Armie Hammer (born 1986) and businessman/philanthropist Viktor Hammer (born 1988).[11]
He formerly resided in a Paul Williams-designed, 1920s Tudor-style manse, that was featured in films and television shows, including the Bells of St. Mary's, Rocky V, and others. It had erroneously been dubbed "Wayne Manor," as it was thought the house had been used in the Batman TV show, but in fact an adjacent residence was the site used for Batman. The historic mansion was destroyed by fire in October 2005 during a painstaking renovation by the Hammers.[13][14] He currently resides in Montecito, California.
References
- ^ "Grant's Land" Forbes.com (United States.), May 8, 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Board of Trustees" Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, OK.), May 8, 2009.
- ^ Epstein, Edward Jay (1998). Dossier: the secret history of Armand Hammer. Orion Business. pp. 187. ISBN 0752813862.
- ^ "Armand Hammer Dies at 92; Executive Forged Soviet Ties" The New York Times, May 8, 2009.
- ^ Considine, Bob (1975). The remarkable life of Dr. Armand Hammer. Harper & Row. pp. 75. ISBN 0060108363.
- ^ "Reaches Into Her Gypsy Songbag For Tunes To Give To Posterity .". Meriden Daily Journal. 1934-03-06. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cbFIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=swENAAAAIBAJ&pg=922,1138675&dq=reaches-into-her-gypsy-songbag-for-tunes-to-give-to-posterity&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ "Miss Mobley Has Nuptials In Oklahoma The New York Times, January 13, 1985.
- ^ a b "Michael Hammer to Join Avenue Entertainment Group Board; Hammer International Takes Stake in Company" Findarticles.com (Los Angeles, CA), May 8, 2009.
- ^ "OnVANTAGE, Inc. Appoints New Director, Michael Armand Hammer" Encyclopedia.com (San Jose, California), May 8, 2009.
- ^ "Miss Mobley Has Nuptials In Oklahoma" New York Times (New York City), May 8, 2009.
- ^ a b "Board Members" Joyce Meyer Ministries (St. Louis, Missouri), May 8, 2009.
- ^ Pentecostal evangel (Assemblies of God. General Council / General Council of the Assemblies of God) (4313-4337). 1997. "Michael Hammer, 42, told The Washington Post that he became a Christian after meeting and marrying former fitness instructor Dru Ann Mobley in 1985"
- ^ ref name="mansion">"Mansion" April 25, 2010.
- ^ http://www.preservela.com/archives/000656.html
Categories:- 1955 births
- American businesspeople
- American philanthropists
- Columbia University alumni
- Living people
- University of San Diego alumni
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