Alfonso "Alfy" Fanjul Jr. (born 1937) is an American billionaire businessman, and the eldest of the Fanjul brothers, who control a sugar and real estate business valued at US$8.2 billion.[1] Alfy Fanjul is often criticized[2] as the Fanjul brother that most often donates to the Democratic Party seeking political favors, and in particular, seeking to ensure the continuation of the governmental price support of sugar that the Fanjul family company, Domino Sugar, most directly benefits from.[3]
Alfonso "Alfy" Fanjul Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alfonso Fanjul y Gómez-Mena 1937 (age 86–87) Havana, Cuba |
| Nationality | Spanish and American |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Tina Fanjul (d. 2000) Raysa Fanjul |
| Parent(s) | Alfonso Fanjul Sr. Lillian Rosa Gomez-Mena |
| Relatives | José "Pepe" Fanjul (brother) José Gómez-Mena (grandfather) Norberto Azqueta Sr. (brother-in-law) |
Early life
editHe is the eldest son of Alfonso Fanjul Sr. and his wife Lillian Rosa Gomez-Mena. He has a bachelor's degree from Fordham University in New York.[4]
Career
editIn 1982, he became chairman of Flo-Sun Land Corporation, the family holding company, following the death of his father.[5]
In 1987, his net worth was estimated at US$500 million.[5]
He and his brother, José Fanjul, both hold Spanish and American passports. They are close friends of the ex-King Juan Carlos and have stated on various occasions that they would be willing to receive the exiled king as a guest in any of their mansions around the world.[6]
Personal life
editHis divorce from Tina Fanjul, mother of his children, was finalized in 2000 in Florida.[4] She runs Tina Fanjul Associates Inc. Real Estate, which was founded in 1977, and sells property in south Florida and the Dominican Republic.[7]
Their daughter Crista is a marine biology graduate of the University of Miami, and is married to Allan "Tad" Ryan Jr.[5]
Their youngest daughter, Lillian, is an interior designer, and married to Luis Fernandez.[5][8] Fernandez is executive vice president and CFO of Florida Crystals, a Fanjul family company, and co-president of American Sugar Refining.[9]
He has been married to Raysa Fanjul since at least 2010.[10]
Criticism
editSwedish author and historian of ideas, Johan Norberg commented in his book The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World published in 2023 that:
Among the most successful American welfare queens are the brothers Alfonso and José Fanjul in Florida, who receive around $65 million in subsidies for their sugar empire annually. They use part of that money to buy political support for a continued stream of subsidies in their direction. The best that can be said about them is that they don't contribute to political polarization. During the irreconcilable presidential election campaign in 2016, the Fanjul brothers protected themselves by holding one fundraiser for Trump and one for Clinton.[11]
References
edit- ^ "These Sugar Barons Built an $8 Billion Fortune With Washington's Help". Bloomberg.com. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017 – via www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ "A sweet deal: The royal family of cane benefits from political giving". america.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
- ^ "In the Kingdom of Big Sugar". Vanity Fair. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2023-08-21.
- ^ a b Brenner, Marie (5 January 2011). "In the Kingdom of Big Sugar". vanityfair.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Exiled Cuban Family Builds Its Sweet Success". chicagotribune.com. 15 February 1987. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "La colecta de Juan Carlos entre sus amigos ricos para pagar: Los Fanjul, los Albertos, Peter Dubens". 27 February 2021.
- ^ "About Us - Tina Fanjul Associates Real Estate". fanjulrealestate.com. 30 December 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "Sold Out: "Palm Beach Chic," a power panel discussion with Jennifer Ash Rudick, Lillian Fanjul Fernandez and Anne Fairfax - The Society of the Four Arts". www.fourarts.org. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "Florida sugar companies now have a global presence". mypalmbeachpost.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "Palm Beach Social Diary". New York Social Diary. 26 January 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ Norberg, Johan (2023). The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World. Atlantic Books Ltd. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-83895-7896.