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Article: Saga of John family fortune takes new (and bright) turn. (Harry and Erica John - De Rance Foundation) (Editorial)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- January 15, 1993
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The name De Rance Foundation and those of Harry and Erica John mean a lot of personal things to the family of nine children, to friends, but to the wider Catholic community the names are synonymous with megabucks and controversy.
The Harry John saga dates back to 1946, when he started the De Rance Foundation (named after a 17th-century Trappist monk) with $14 million, 46 percent of the Miller Brewing Co. inheritance. With John's millions in hand, De Rance began funding Catholic charities from Milwaukee's inner city to Africa's leper colonies.
But by 1983, it is said, Harry began acting oddly. For example, he moved into gold futures, began funneling ...