Calvin Howard Wilkins Jr. (February 19, 1938 – December 24, 2016) was an American businessman and political fundraiser who served as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands.
Life and career Calvin Howard Wilkins Jr.Webster Griffin Tarpley, Anton Chaitkin, George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography, Part 1, 1992, page 658 was born in Wichita, Kansas on February 19, 1938.National Archives and Records Administration, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Volume 17, Issue 2, 1981, page 509 He graduated from Yale University in 1960 and began a business career.The American Presidency Project, Nomination of C. Howard Wilkins Jr. To Be United States Ambassador to The Netherlands, June 1, 1989U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Nominations of Victor A. Schroeder, C. Howard Wilkins, Victor Montgomery Thompson Jr. and Robert A. G. Monks to be Members of the Board of Directors, U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation, September 10, 1981, page 9National Archives and Records Administration, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Nomination of C. Howard Wilkins Jr. to be United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, 1989, page 662
In 1966, Wilkins bought the Pizza Hut franchise in Kentucky, and in less than two years he added 16 restaurants. He then sold his restaurants to the parent corporation, which he joined as Vice President for International Operations. The company's first restaurants outside the United States were built during his tenure, and in 1970 he left the company to become President of Pizza Corporation of America, and later Maverick Development Corporation. He operated 270 Pizza Hut restaurants in the United States and overseas, and later moved on to franchises of other name brand restaurants.Council of American Ambassadors, Biography, C. Howard Wilkins Jr. , accessed January 1, 2013Wall Street Journal, , November 8, 1973Wichita Eagle, Kansans Urged as Diplomats, February 2, 1989Wichita Eagle, Wilkins Quitting as Ambassador: KC Man to be Posted to the Hague, May 15, 1992
A Republican, Wilkins was a donor and fundraiser for the 1976 presidential campaign of Gerald Ford.Fort Scott tribune, Wichita Man Named State Chairman, October 3, 1975 In the 1980s, he served as a member of the board of directors of the Synthetic Fuels Corporation.Associated Press, The Hour (Norwalk, Connecticut), Moffett, Federal Board Official Disagree on Political Activities, January 14, 1982
He was also major donor to and fundraiser for the 1988 presidential campaign of George H. W. Bush. From 1989 to 1992, he served as Bush's Ambassador to the Netherlands.Wichita Eagle, Wichita's Wilkins has Easy Time at Hearings, June 9, 1989Dwight L. Morris, Washington Post, The Rewards of Political Philanthropy, June 3, 1996
Wilkins has continued as a contributor to and fundraiser for several presidential candidates, including: Bob Dole; Elizabeth Dole; George W. Bush; Rudy Giuliani; John McCain; and Mitt Romney. He has also been involved in several campaigns for the United States Senate, which included those of: William Weld; Elizabeth Dole; George Allen; Roy Blunt; and Michael Steele. He has also been involved with several campaign committees, to include: Grow PAC; the Leadership Circle PAC; Campaign America PAC; and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.Andrew Miga and Joe Sciacca, Boston Herald, , May 9, 1996Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News, Friends of the Father Bush Ambassadors Donate to Governor, February 21, 1998USA Today, , October 10, 1988Richard L. Berke, Prodded by Lobbying Group, G.O.P. Reveals $100,000 Donors, January 24, 1989John M. Broder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dole rakes in the Big Bucks, July 29, 1995Wichita Eagle, Koch Executives Dig Deep for Political Gifts, October 22, 1992Judy Keen, USA Today, Political Bottom Line is on Checks;`Soft Money' is Hard Cash, October 10, 1988
Wilkins also continued his business career, including partnerships and board of directors memberships for Panera Bread, Amarillo Mesquite Grill Inc., Siemens Water Technologies Corp. and other companies.Sherry Graham, Wichita Business Journal, Panera Bread to Open Two New Locations in Wichita, April 7, 2002Bloomberg Businessweek, Executive Profile, C. Howard Wilkins Jr., accessed January 1, 2013
Ambassador Wilkins and his family are also philanthropists, and their activities include a charitable organization, the C. Howard Wilkins Foundation and establishing women's softball and basketball scholarships at Wichita State University.Wichita State University, Spirit of the Gift Biography Project: C. Howard Wilkins Sr. Women's Softball Scholarship, accessed January 1, 2013Wichita State University, Spirit of the Gift Project: C. Howard Wilkins Sr. Women's Basketball Scholarship, accessed January 1, 2013The Foundation Center, Guide to U.S. Foundations, Their Trustees, Officers, and Donors, Volume 1, 2001, page 1246 Wilkins died on December 24, 2016, at the age of 78.
References
External resources C. Howard Wilkins Appointment History, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, accessed January 1, 2013