Herbert Allen Jr.

Herbert A. Allen Jr.
Born	1940 Irvington, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Years active	1962–2002
Known for	Former president of Allen & Company

Herbert A. Allen Jr. (born 1940) is an American entrepreneur who formerly served as president of Allen & Company.

Biography

Herbert Allen Jr. is the son of Kathleen and Herbert A. Allen Sr., a stock trader who became part of the investment firm established in 1922 by his brother Charles, Allen & Company, which focuses on corporate acquisitions. Another brother, Harold, joined the company shortly thereafter. Allen Jr. also has a sister named Susan Allen. His mother was of Irish Catholic descent, while his father, though born to a Jewish mother, identified as a non-practicing Unitarian.

Growing up in Irvington, New York, Allen Jr. completed his education at Williams College in 1962 and promptly entered the family business at Allen & Company. By the age of 27 in 1966, he was appointed President. In 1973, the firm secured a controlling stake in Columbia Pictures. The year 1982 marked the launch of the Sun Valley Conference by Allen & Company, and later that year, The Coca-Cola Company acquired Columbia Pictures for $750 million in cash and stock, which resulted in Allen Jr. joining Coca-Cola’s board of directors.

In 2002, leadership of the company was transferred from Allen Jr. to his son, Herbert Allen III.

Philanthropy

In 1998, Allen contributed $20 million to Williams College.

Personal life

Allen has experienced three marriages and subsequent divorces. His first marriage to Laura Parrish produced four children: Herbert Allen III, who is married to public-interest attorney Monica de la Torre; Charles Allen, an institutional sales professional at Allen & Co., who wed Kristin Wheat Fisher in 2005; Leslie Allen; and Christie Allen. His second marriage was with Broadway dancer Ann Reinking from 1982 until 1989. He later married Gail Holmes but divorced her as well. Currently, Allen resides in Cody, Wyoming.