Herbert Kohler Jr Net Worth

What was Herbert Kohler Jr.'s Net Worth?

Herbert Kohler Jr. was an American billionaire businessman who had a net worth of $5.7 billion. For much of his adult life, he was one of the richest people in Wisconsin.

Not to be confused with another late legendary Wisconsinite, Herb Kohl – heir to the Kohl's department store – Herbert Kohler Jr. was a member of the prominent Kohler family of Wisconsin. Herbert Kohler Jr. served as chairman and CEO of the family's Kohler Company, best known for manufacturing plumbing products and owning and operating golf courses, hotels, and restaurants. Among the company's golf complexes is Whistling Straits, which has hosted multiple PGA Championships.

Early Life and Education

Herbert Kohler Jr. was born on February 20, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois, to Herbert Sr. and Ruth DeYoung. He is a member of the prominent Kohler family of Wisconsin, which has been involved in business and politics in the state going back to the 19th century. The family's manufacturing and hospitality company, the Kohler Company, was founded by Austrian immigrant John Michael Kohler II in 1873. Herbert Kohler Jr. had two siblings named Ruth and Frederick.

As a youth, Kohler attended the all-boys Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut. He graduated in 1957. Kohler went on to attend Yale University, from which he graduated in 1965 with a degree in industrial administration.

Kohler Company

Kohler began working for his family's Kohler Company when he was still an adolescent. He worked as a laborer or technician in each of the company's divisions. After graduating from Yale, Kohler joined the company full-time, and in 1972 he was named its new chairman and CEO. The Kohler Company is best known for manufacturing plumbing products such as bath and kitchen fixtures. It also makes furniture, tile, engines, and generators.

The Kohler Company has a hospitality and real estate division called Destination Kohler, which owns and operates numerous properties, including hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and private membership clubs. Its portfolio includes the American Club, a luxury spa and resort in Kohler, Wisconsin; hotels such as the Sandhill Cabin and Lodge Kohler; the restaurants the Wisconsin Room, the Horse & Plow, and the Greenhouse; the Riverbend private membership club; and the luxury apartment building Hamilton Grand in St. Andrews, Scotland.

A passionate golf fan, Kohler constructed a number of golf courses through his company that were designed by Pete Dye. The first, at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wisconsin, was established in 1988. A second 18-hole course was added there in 1990. Toward the end of the decade, Kohler established a 36-hole course at Whistling Straits in Mosel, Wisconsin. The complex went on to host the PGA Championship in 2004, 2010, and 2015, and later the Ryder Cup in 2021.

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Kohler Environmental Center

In 2012, Kohler donated $20 million for the construction of the Kohler Environmental Center at his alma mater Choate Rosemary Hall. Spanning 32,000 square feet on 266 acres of forest and wetland, the Center utilizes such features as solar panels and composting to limit its environmental toll.

Personal Life and Death

Kohler married his first wife, Linda Karger, in 1961. They had three children named Laura, Rachel, and David, and divorced in the early 1980s. Kohler went on to marry lawyer Natalie Black, who became general counsel and senior vice president of communications at the Kohler Company.

On September 3, 2022, Kohler passed away in Kohler, Wisconsin. He was 83 years of age.

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