William J. Hume

William J. Hume, known as Jerry Hume, was an American businessman and conservative donor.

Early life and education Hume was born to Jaquelin H. Hume, the co-founder of Basic American Foods, the world's largest supplier of dried potato and bean products, and Caroline Howard Hume, a philanthropist. He has a brother, George H. Hume, and two sisters, Patricia Highberg and Carol Tolan. In the late 1970s, he joined the education taskforce of the California Business Roundtable.

He is chairman of the Foundation for Teaching Economics. He sits on the Boards of Trustees of The Heritage Foundation, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, The Foundation for Educational Choice, the Center for Education Reform, and Donors Trust.

In 2008, he received the first Sir Anthony Fisher Freedom Award from the Pacific Research Institute.

Personal life His wife is from Chile, and they have adult children.