Soros is ranked 29th in Forbes’ World’s Billionaires, mainly because of the Soros Fund Management. His vast fortune is duly matched by his generosity. From 2007-2008 alone, he contributed $474.6 million to non-profit organizations, and gave over $106,000 in political contributions. George Soros also created the Soros Humanitarian Foundation to which he gave $230 million.
On August 12,1930, a man who would actively redefine society’s and culture’s borders was born in Budapest, Hungary by the name of George Soros. He and his family migrated in England in 1947. He had to survive by manually working as a restaurant waiter as well as a railroad porter in England.
In the face of all this difficulty, George Soros managed to support himself through his studies at the London School of Economics, where he accomplished his undergraduate degree. He moved to the United States in 1956, where he developed his prowess as a trader and analyst until 1963. A decade after, he established and benefited immensely from what would be one of the first hedge funds in the nation; the Quantum Fund. In 1992, he became famous for “breaking the Bank of England” on Black Wednesday.
Today, the self-made 78-year old has a net worth of $9 billion. George Soros is ranked 29th in Forbes’ World’s Billionaires, mainly because of the Soros Fund Management. His vast fortune is duly matched by his generosity. From 2007-2008 alone, he contributed $474.6 million to non-profit organizations, and gave over $106,000 in political contributions. George Soros also created the Soros Humanitarian Foundation to which he gave $230 million.
Among George Soros’ many projects are the Millennium Promise Initiative which seeks to eliminate extreme African poverty ($50 million), the regional Russian Universities Internet infrastructure creation ($100 million), and putting up a grantmaking foundation in China dedicated to transparency and fostering civil society. In fact, his history of giving began as early as 1979, when he financially aided African American students to go to University of Cape Town in South Africa.
What is perhaps George Soros’ greatest legacy lies, however, in his establishment of the Open Society Institute in 1993. He was particularly influenced by philosopher Karl Popper, author of The Open Society and Its Enemies – an insightful critique on the political system of totalitarianism. As such, he has endeavored to aid the formation of human rights awareness, democratic governance, and concrete reform in the different sectors of society in over 60 countries at present.
George Soros was on the cover of Time Magazine’s September 1, 1997 issue, which featured his causes. For his published work and philanthropic dedication to the promotion of open societies, he has been recognized by prestigious bodies such as Yale University, Oxford University, New School for Social Research, and the University of Bologna’s highest honor, the Laurea Honoris Causa.
