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Hushang Ansary

Hushang Ansary (, 16 July 1927 – 3 January 2026) was an Iranian-American diplomat, businessman, and philanthropist. He served in the Imperial Iranian government for 18 years prior to the Iranian Revolution, including as minister of finance from 1974 to 1977 and as ambassador to the United States from 1967 to 1969. He also served as chairman of companies in both Iran and the United States.

Early life

Hushang Ansary was born in Ahvaz, Khuzestan province, on 16 July 1927.[1] He was the older brother of Cyrus A. Ansary.[2]

He began his career as a newspaper and magazine photographer in Ahvaz, Tehran, and the United Kingdom before moving to Japan in 1954, where he continued his work in photography.

Career

Imperial Iranian government

In Japan, Ansary met Abbas Aram, Iran's ambassador to Japan, who brought him to the attention of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. The Shah asked Ansary to return to Iran and subsequently appointed him to several government positions beginning in 1961, including undersecretary of commerce, ambassador to Pakistan, and minister of information.[3]

From May 1967 to October 1969, Ansary served as Iran's ambassador to the United States.[4] In 1974, he became minister of finance. During this period, he assisted the Shah in providing millions of dollars in aid and grants to other countries and signed an agreement with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to develop eight nuclear power plants in Iran.[5]

Ansary was described as one of the wealthiest men in Iran during the Pahlavi era.[6][7] By the mid-1970s, the CIA considered him to be one of the seventeen members of "the Shah's Inner Circle" and one of the leading candidates to succeed Amir Abbas Hoveyda as prime minister of Iran. Ultimately, the position was awarded to Jamshid Amouzegar, a leading progressive member of the Rastakhiz Party, rather than to Ansary, who was associated with more establishment positions.[8] In November 1977, he was appointed director of the National Iranian Oil Company.[9]

Later activities

As the Iranian Revolution neared, Ansary resigned from the National Iranian Oil Company and moved to the United States, citing health problems.[9] He became a U.S. citizen in 1986.

In the 1980s, Ansary founded the Parman Group, a holding company focused on leisure industries, textiles, international trade, and real estate. Its holdings included IRI International, a manufacturer of oilfield equipment. In 2005, IRI International was sold to National Oilwell Varco.[10] Ansary served as chairman of Stewart & Stevenson until the company was acquired by Kirby Corporation in September 2018.[11]

Politics

Ansary was a member of the Republican Party and was known to be a friend and business associate of prominent Republican politicians Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, and James Baker.[12] He served on the National Finance Committee for the 2004 presidential reelection campaign of George W. Bush.[12][13] In 2015, he and his wife donated $2 million to a Super PAC supporting the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush.[14] In 2017, they donated $2 million to inaugural committee of Donald Trump.[15]

Politics

Ansary was a member of the Republican Party and was known to be a friend and business associate of prominent Republican politicians Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, and James Baker.[12] He served on the National Finance Committee for the 2004 presidential reelection campaign of George W. Bush.[12][13] In 2015, he and his wife donated $2 million to a Super PAC supporting the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush.[14] In 2017, they donated $2 million to inaugural committee of Donald Trump.[15]

Philanthropy

Ansary was involved in the creation of several medical and educational institutions, such as the University of St. Martin and the James Baker Institute. In February 2014, Ansary supported the A Thousand Years of the Persian Book Exhibition at the Library of Congress.[16]

Personal life and death

In 1964, Ansary married Maryam Panahi, who held a prominent social cricle in Iranian politics. They had a daughter together, Nina. According to historian Abbas Milani, the marriage later "came to a bitter end".[17] Ansary and his second wife, Shahla, lived in Houston, Texas.[1]

Ansary died of cardiac arrest on 3 January 2026 at the age of 98.[1][18]

Awards and honors

  • Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2003)[19] and the Woodrow Wilson Award.
  • Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University established the Ansary Center for Stem Cell Therapeutics in 2004 in honor of a grant from Ansary and his wife Shahla.[20]
  • The American Academy of Diplomacy's Ansary Outreach Program; named in his honor in 2004.[21]
  • The Ansary Gallery of American History at the George Bush Presidential Library; named in his honor in 2004.[22]
  • James A. Baker III Prize for Excellence in Leadership (2013) [23]

References

  1. Hushang Ansary (98) overleden Antilliaans Dagblad, 5 January 2026, retrieved 5 January 2026^
  2. James A. Bill. The eagle and the lion: the tragedy of American-Iranian relations Yale University Press, 1988^
  3. Milani, p. 80.^
  4. Foreign relations of the USA US State Department, retrieved 8 August 2021^
  5. Milani, pp. 81–83.^
  6. Milani, p. 83: "According to William Shawcross, Ansary 'was one of the richest men' in Iran."; Milani, p. 84: "...he had clearly come to America a very rich man—Forbes called him a 'multimillionaire refugee'—...".^
  7. Youssef M. Ibrahim. Strife Cripples Iran's Economy The New York Times, 1978-11-28, retrieved 2026-03-25^
  8. Milani, p. 84.^
  9. Milani, pp. 82–84.^
  10. IRI International Corp.: Private Company Information Bloomberg News, 2015-05-25, retrieved 2023-05-26^
  11. Kirby Corporation Completes the Purchase of Stewart & Stevenson LLC and Reports on the Impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma^
  12. Staff. Donors pay for carrier Bush commissioning The Virginian Pilot, January 9, 2009, retrieved 13 May 2015^
  13. Milani, pp. 79, 84.^
  14. Million-Dollar Donors in the 2016 Presidential Race New York Times, 25 August 2015, retrieved 14 October 2015^
  15. Trump 2017 Inauguration Contributions OpenSecrets.org, retrieved July 18, 2020^
  16. Urschel, Donna. "A Thousand Years of the Persian Book" Exhibition Opens at Library of Congress March 27 Library of Congress, 27 February 2014, retrieved 27 February 2014^
  17. Abbas Milani. Eminent Persians: the men and women who made modern Iran, 1941–1979 Syracuse University Press, 2008^
  18. Zakenman Hushang Ansary (98) overleden Curaçao.nu, 5 January 2026, retrieved 5 January 2026^
  19. Ellis Island Medal of Honor Database eihonors.org, Ellis Island Honors Society, retrieved 29 December 2018^
  20. Weil, Jonathan (May 2004) "New Stem Cell Center at Cornell". Cancer Biology & Therapy (Austin, TX: Landes Bioscience) 3 (5): 425–426.^
  21. "The Ansary Outreach Program". American Academy of Diplomacacy. Retrieved 2010-12-20.^
  22. "Grand Opening of Ansary Gallery". News From the George Bush Presidential Library Center. July 2004. p. 4.^
  23. James A. Baker III Prize for Excellence in Leadership bakerinstitute.org, retrieved 29 December 2018^
  24. <ref name=Business>[http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=1120120&ticker=NOV:FP&previousCapId=37412460&previousTitle=Sports%20Properties%20Acquisition%20Corp. "Hushang Ansary: Executive Profile & Biography"]. BusinessWeek. Retrieved 18 December 2010.^
  25. Hushang Ansary Ellis Island Medal bio. National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations. Retrieved 2010-12-18.^