Christopher Drake Heinz (born 1973) is an American businessman and investment manager. He is an heir to the billionaire fortune from the family food company Heinz.

Family

Chris Heinz is the youngest son of United States Senator Henry John Heinz III (d. 1991) and Teresa Heinz Kerry. He is the great-great-grandson of the industrialist and founder of the H.J. Heinz Co.[1] He has two brothers, H. John Heinz IV (born 4 November 1966) and Andre Heinz. He and his brothers served on the board of The Heinz Endowments chaired by their mother.[2] His father was killed in the 1991 mid-air collision of a helicopter and plane (Merion air disaster).

Chris Heinz is a stepson of the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, and stepbrother of Alexandra Kerry and Vanessa Kerry. Heinz married Alexandra Lewis in February 2007.[3] They have two children.[4]

Career

In 2004 when his stepfather John Kerry, was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States, Heinz quit his job working as a venture capitalist to work as a fundraiser and surrogate speaker for Kerry’s campaign. Heinz worked on his stepfather's Presidential campaign,[5][6] and spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention where he was considered a plausible candidate for a 2006 seat in the U.S. Congress.[2][7] In 2005,[8] he co-founded Rosemont Capital (named for the family’s Fox Chapel property near Pittsburgh) until departing in 2014.[1] He was a partner in the Washington, D.C. firm Rosemont Seneca from its founding in 2009 until 2014, when he ended his working relationship with Hunter Biden and Devon Archer, after Biden and Archer took board positions on Burisma Holdings (a Ukrainian fracking gas company), which was owned by Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky, the former Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources.[9] In 2015, he relocated to Pittsburgh.[1]

He has served on the board of the Navy SEAL Foundation.[1] He is a former member of the Council on Foreign Relations.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Gannon, Joyce (2015-09-25). "Pittsburgh's charms attract another young professional: Christopher Heinz: Farewell, NYC". Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
  2. ^ a b Micek, John L. (July 28, 2004). "Rising star Chris Heinz lends stepdad some sparkle". The Morning Call.
  3. ^ "Alexandra Lewis and Christopher Heinz". New York Times. February 11, 2007.
  4. ^ "Pittsburgh's charms attract another young professional: Christopher Heinz". Post Gazette. November 29, 2015.
  5. ^ Johnson, Glen (November 23, 2003). "Chris Heinz learns the campaign ropes". Boston Globe.
  6. ^ Weisberg, Jacob (January 23, 2004). "Slate's Well-Traveled: Skiing with Chris Heinz". National Public Radio.
  7. ^ "Chris Heinz won't make run in '06". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. April 19, 2005.
  8. ^ "Top five to watch in 2016: Five leaders figuring to impact Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. December 30, 2016.
  9. ^ Goodman, Alana (August 27, 2019). "John Kerry's son cut business ties with Hunter Biden over Ukrainian oil deal". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on 2019-08-27.
  10. ^ "Christopher Heinz: Fintech Strategic Investment, PNC Bank". Center for a New American Security.
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