William E. Conway, Jr.

William E. "Bill" Conway Jr. (born August 27, 1949) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. Conway is co-executive chairman and co-founder of the Carlyle Group. He is chairman of the board of trustees of Johns Hopkins Medicine and a member of the board of trustees of the Catholic University of America. According to Forbes, Conway had a net worth of US$3.6 billion as of April 2022.

Early life and education Conway attended Dartmouth College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1971. Continuing his studies at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, he received his MBA degree in 1974 with his main focus being on finance. Conway went to night school for his MBA while working at the First National Bank of Chicago.

Career He started his career working in a variety of positions in corporate finance, commercial lending, workout loans and general management for almost ten years with First National Bank of Chicago. From 1981 to 1986, Conway had worked in various financial positions at MCI Communications being named senior vice president and chief financial officer in 1984.

He has been chairman of Nextel Communications and United Defense Industries. Several members of Congress also warned that US financial executives should not attend the Summit, saying "Their presence only serves to legitimise the swift dismantling of Hong Kong's autonomy, free press and the rule of law by Hong Kong authorities acting along with the Chinese Communist Party."

Political activities Conway's son, also named Bill Conway, ran in the 2020 Democratic primary election for Cook County State's Attorney against incumbent Kim Foxx. Conway donated $10.5 million of his personal fortune to his son's ultimately unsuccessful campaign.

Personal life In 1999, Conway bought Merrywood, the childhood home of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, from Alan I. Kay for $15.5 million. Less than a year later, he sold it to Steve Case, the former CEO of AOL and his wife, Jean Villanueva, for $24.5 million. Conway was previously married and divorced. He has one child from his prior marriage, Bill Conway. He lives in McLean, Virginia.

Joanne Barkett Conway died on January 8, 2024, following a short illness. She was 75.

Philanthropy Conway and his wife Joanne support a number of charities and institutions. In June 2019 they donated $20 million to the Catholic University of America to create the Conway School of Nursing. Since 2012, Conway pledged over $55 million for the Latin American Youth Center to finance the organization's educational programs. the University of Virginia's School of Nursing Trinity Washington University, Georgetown University's School of Nursing, and more.

Publications Why We're Investing in America, The Wall Street Journal (November 19, 2012)