James Hormel, Philanthropist and Gay Ambassador

I have been reading a book by James C. Hormel entitled Fit to Serve.

Hormel is the scion of the Hormel meatpacking family, which got Americans—and much of the Western world—to eat meat that comes in rectangular blue cans—"Spam" in its original sense. Converting pigs to canned meat, particularly during World War II, was hugely profitable for Hormel's father, then the president of the company.

Hormel went on to lead a model life—married, with five children, a position as Dean of Students at the University of Chicago Law School, and a home (at one point, at least) in Chicago's tony North Shore suburbs. He was later to became US Ambassador to Luxembourg.

Before then, Hormel came out as gay and divorced his wife.

Hormel had numerous relationships with men, and, with his means, was able to live where he wanted, so at various periods he had homes in New York, Hawaii, and San Francisco.

While living in San Francisco, he became involved in many charitable and philanthropic organizations, mainly ones which formed in response to the AIDS epidemic, which at that time was decimating the gay male community in San Francisco.

Hormel was asked to serve on the boards of many of the organizations he'd become involved with.

I tend to feel that it is undemocratic that it's always the people with money who get to be on these boards. On the other hand, it's easy to understand why. Boards are as much about fundraising as anything else. And people who have money usually not only will contribute themselves, but they know other people who have money—so, they are well positioned to tap others like themselves for money.

Hormel does not say, in the book, how much money he personally has, but he does mention figures for how much he contributed. And it is a lot.

So--not to minimize the man's abilities or his generosity--he's been a force for good. Still, to get back to the point I wanted to make, he himself says he didn't do anything to earn that money. Purely by accident of birth, he has had a life of wealth and privilege. Which in turn made his philanthropy possible. And that in turn got him a degree of renown and a position as ambassador (even if to a very small country!).

So I guess what I am saying is what nearly everyone comes to realize at some point: that Nature does not deal everyone an equally good hand. But we need more people like Hormel who try to use their assets (in all senses) to do some good in the world they see around them.

Copyright © 2012 by Richard Stein