John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt. These titans used their immense fortunes to leave an indelible mark on the nation they loved.
Rich men are in no short supply today, but unfortunately, most of them hate their country. Whether by funding Democratic politicians or left-wing activist groups, billionaires such as George Soros, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and the former Mrs. Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs seem committed to destroying everything that made it possible for them—or their husbands—to succeed.
But one lesser-known billionaire broke from the pack, donating a record-breaking $1.65 billion to a righteous if little known group: the Marble Freedom Trust. Meet 90-year-old manufacturing tycoon and 2022 Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year Barre Seid.
Haven't heard of him? Well, Seid is not a media whore. He's got better things to do. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Seid served in the military and took a job at Tripp Lite, which manufactures electrical devices like surge protectors. He went on to become the company's sole owner.
Then, in a baller move—or, as the New York Times put it, "an usual series of transactions that appear to have avoided tax liabilities"—Seid donated the company itself to the Marble Freedom Trust, care of fellow patriot Leonard Leo, best known as the architect of the conservative-dominated Supreme Court.
The libs are already trying to ape Seid's moves. (When they do it, the financial transactions aren't unusual or mysterious.)
So, for using his fortune to save America and for finding a novel way to make sure that fortune, in its entirety, goes to a righteous cause, we salute Barre Seid as a Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year.
