Joe Allbritton
 Joe Allbritton    (Businessperson, banker, publisher) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | December 29, 1924 D'Lo, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | December 12, 2012 (Age 87) Houston, Texas, United States |
| Alma mater | Baylor University |
| Children | Robert Allbritton |
| Spouse | Barbara Allbritton |
| Interests | • George H.W. Bush • Charles Windsor |
American banker, publisher and deep state actor. A friend of George H.W. Bush, he bought Riggs Bank in 1981, which enjoyed a "relationship" with the CIA similar to the BCCI. | |
Joe Lewis Allbritton was an American banker, publisher and deep state actor. A friend of George H.W. Bush, he bought Riggs Bank in 1981, which enjoyed a "relationship" with the CIA[1] similar to the BCCI.
Early life
Joe Allbritton was born on December 29, 1924, in D'Lo, Mississippi, the sixth of seven children. His family soon relocated to Houston, Texas, where his father owned a small business. Allbritton served in the United States Navy during World War II. He completed his undergraduate degree and law degree from Baylor University, where he was a national champion debater.[2]
Business
After naval service and law school, he borrowed $5,000 to buy land (presumably with some sort of insider knowledge) outside Houston, which was later used in the construction of a freeway connecting Houston and Galveston, making Allbritton a small fortune. He also chaired Houston International Bank, Houston Citizens Bank and University Bankshares.[2]
He had several very influential Houston friends, including George H.W. Bush and LBJ aide and Jack Valenti. The mob-connected Valenti, who died in 2007, was one of Allbritton’s closest friends; Bush was a regular at the annual brunch Allbritton and his wife, Barbara, held at their Washington home on the morning after the Alfalfa dinner, an exclusive gathering of top business and political leaders. Among his other friends late in life was Britain’s Prince Charles.[3]
In 1975, he purchased The Washington Star along with its television station and smaller stations in the south. In 1978, he was forced to divest the newspaper. This became the foundation of his company, Allbritton Communications, which includes WJLA-TV,[4] NewsChannel 8, short lived Internet venture TBD, and Politico, now run by his son, Robert Allbritton.[5]
From 1981 to 2001, he was chairman of Riggs Bank. In 1992, he sold the Los Angeles based Pierce National Life Insurance Co. that he had owned since 1958.[6][7]
Riggs was sold in 2005 to the larger PNC Financial Services Group after the company was revelead to be a conduit for deep state money flows, including Saudi Ambassador Bandar bin Sultan. The PNC sale brought Allbritton a large financial sum.[3]
Robert was involved when family business launched the influential magazine, later website, Politico in the 1980s, where his son Robert Allbritton became publisher and CEO.[3]
References
- ↑ https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/01/the-cia-and-riggs-bank.html
- ↑ a b https://web.archive.org/web/20121216084443/http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/12/joe-l-allbritton-founder-of-allbritton-communications-dies-at-87-83047.html#ixzz2Fc34BQ9w
- ↑ a b c https://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/joe-allbritton-dies-at-87-085004
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130116100930/http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/12/joe-l-allbritton-founder-of-allbritton-communications-dies-at-87-83047.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130412135842/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-12-12/local/35789364_1_joe-l-allbritton-riggs-bank-media-magnate
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1992/09/05/allbritton-sells-pierce-insurance/86887976-5829-4334-92e7-f0dca5fee7a6/
- ↑ https://newrepublic.com/article/111093/joe-allbritton-what-those-glowing-obits-didnt-tell-you
