H. Gary Morse

Harold Gary Morse (December 19, 1936 – October 29, 2014) was an American billionaire and the developer, along with his father Harold Schwartz, of the active adult retirement community The Villages, Florida.

H. Gary Morse
Born
Harold Gary Schwartz

(1936-12-19)December 19, 1936
Chicago, Illinois
DiedOctober 29, 2014(2014-10-29) (aged 77)
OccupationCommunity developer
EmployerHolding Company of the Villages Ltd.
Spouse(s)Sharon (d. 1999)
Renee (his death, 2014)
Children3
RelativesMegan Boone (granddaughter)

Personal life

Morse was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mary Louise and Harold Schwartz, who later moved to Arizona.[1] His father Harold was Jewish.[2] After the couple divorced, Mary Louise married Clifford Morse (Morse would later take his stepfather's surname) and lived in Central Lake, Michigan.[3]

H. Gary Morse was first married to Sharon Morse, who died in 1999. Morse and his second wife, Renee, lived together in a house in The Villages worth more than $1 million.[4][5] Morse had three children — Mark Morse, Jennifer Parr and Tracy Morse— each of whom own and work for the Holding Company of the Villages Ltd.[3][4] He was known for having had a private life, making little contact with other residents and not giving interviews to the media. Upon his death, his family issued the following statement regarding Morse's life:

"Dad never sought the limelight. He was content to stay in the background and enjoy seeing Villagers revel in this amazing lifestyle of their adopted hometown. While he was a friend and adviser to captains of industry, presidents and heads of state, he never lost focus on this community and making it the greatest retirement development in the world."[4]

He was a close friend of former United States Surgical Corporation CEO Leon C. Hirsch,[6] and is the grandfather of actress Megan Boone.

Morse died on October 29, 2014.[4]

Career

Prior to being a land developer, Morse worked as an advertising executive in Chicago.[7] In 1983, Morse moved to Florida to take over his father's business selling vacant lots to mobile home owners. Morse instead decided to build homes, restaurants, pools, and golf courses, and by 1986 Morse was selling more than 500 homes per year. In 2011, the Holding Company of the Villages Ltd. generated at least $550 million in revenue. Morse also was the proprietor of a bank, an insurance company, a local newspaper and other properties.[3] Morse has been described as owning "just about everything" in the community.[8][9]

In 2008, Morse settled for a $40 million class-action lawsuit that alleged that he had misused monthly community amenity fees.[10]

The IRS investigated the special tax districts Morse used for The Villages on the basis that the bonds sold by the districts did not qualify for tax-exempt status.[11] However, once the IRS learned that the bonds had been fully redeemed, the investigation was closed as moot.

Political involvement

Morse, his children, and The Villages have donated tens of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Florida Governor, Rick Scott, and served as major fundraisers for George W. Bush,[5] as well as Mitt Romney.[3] In addition, Morse donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Republican National Committee.[12] Morse also used his 147-foot yacht, the Cracker Bay, for political gatherings.[13] Upon receiving news of his death, Scott and United States Senator Marco Rubio issued separate statements on Morse's vision and ultimate realization of The Villages.[4]

References
  1. Yardley, William (2014-11-10). "H. Gary Morse, Who Built Mecca for Retirees, Is Dead at 77". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  2. Panzer, Sophie. "Paradise Eluded in 'Some Kind of Heaven'". jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  3. Coffey, Brendan (4 June 2012). "Billionaire Morse Behind Curtain at Villages". Bloomberg. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  4. "Villages developer H. Gary Morse praised for his remarkable vision". Villages-News. October 30, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  5. Van Sickler, Michael (12 August 2012). "The Villages: Florida retirement community provides foundation for Republican candidates". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  6. Show, Christine (5 October 2008). "Developer Gary Morse puts The Villages on political map". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  7. Curry, Christopher (24 December 2003). "Villages' founder dies at 93". Ocala Star Banner. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  8. "The Villages: Florida's Disney World For Retirees". NPR. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  9. Pittman, Craig (22 July 2013). "Oh, #Florida!". Slate. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  10. Hudak, Stephen (9 March 2008). "Villages developer to pay $40 million for recreation upgrades to settle a lawsuit". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  11. Smith, Adam C. (31 January 2013). "Cardenas starts lobbying feds for mega GOP donor Gary Morse". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  12. Pittman, Craig (7 July 2002). "One man's crusade". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  13. Horowitz, Jason (29 August 2012). "Mega-donors lavished with attention at convention parties". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
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