Richard Kinder (born October 19, 1944) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Kinder Morgan Inc., an energy and pipeline corporation.
Early life
Richard Kinder was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1944. He received a BA in 1966 and a JD in 1968, both from the University of Missouri. In college, he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.
Career
He began his career in the energy business as an attorney with Florida Gas Transmission, which eventually became Enron Corporation, after a series of mergers He had been friends with its founder, Kenneth Lay, in college. From 1990 to December 1996, he served as its President and COO. He resigned from Enron in 1996 to start a new pipeline company with college friend William V. Morgan. They purchased Enron Liquids Pipeline for $40 million. They also merged with KN Energy. After a number of acquisitions, most prominently El Paso Corporation, Kinder Morgan became the largest midstream energy company in North America.
He is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and serves as chairman of the Kinder Foundation. He previously served as a member of the board of Baker Hughes, Transocean and Waste Management, as a national board member of the Smithsonian Institution and is a past chairman of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America. A Republican, he campaigned for Bush-Quayle in 1992, for Bush-Cheney in 2004, for John McCain in 2008, and for Kay Bailey Hutchison and Tom DeLay.
In 2014, Kinder was listed on Forbes Richest People in the US. Kinder is one of the seven self-made billionaires from Houston on the list, with a net worth of $11 billion. As such, he is the 41st richest American citizen.
Rich Kinder net worth: Richard Kinder is an American businessman and philanthropist who has a net worth of $11 billion dollars, which makes him one of the richest people in Texas. He was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and earned both is undergraduate and his law degrees from the University of Missouri. He began his professional career in Texas, working as a lawyer and real estate investor. He then began working for the Enron Corporation, eventually serving as President and COO from 1990 to 1996. He left Enron to launch his own energy company with former classmate, William V. Morgan, and they subsequently purchased Enron Liquids Pipeline for $40 million; then merged it with KN Energy. Their company, known as Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, now owns the largest natural gas pipeline network in the United States, some 67,000 miles of lines. As part of the Kinder Foundation, Mr. Kinder donated $15 million to Rice University and another $30 million to improve parks and recreational areas in, and around, Houston, Texas. He is a life trustee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and serves as Chairman of the Kinder Foundation. He previously served as a member of the board of Baker Hughes, Transocean and Waste Management, as a national board member of the Smithsonian Institution, and is a past Chairman of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America. A Republican, he campaigned for Bush-Quayle, for Bush-Cheney, for John McCain in 2008, and also campaigned for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate campaign and Tom DeLay’s Congressional campaign. He is twice married, with one child from his first marriage; his divorce was in 1996, the same year he left Enron. He currently lives in Houston, Texas.
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