Richard Hayne (born May 26, 1947) is the president and CEO of

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland the United Arab Emirates, K ...

, an American chain of clothing retailers. Hayne has served as chairman and president since 1976. In 2012, he became CEO following the retirement of Glen Senk. According to the

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

, Hayne dropped off the

Forbes 400 The ''Forbes'' 400 or 400 Richest Americans is a list published by ''Forbes'' magazine of the wealthiest 400 American citizens who own assets in the U.S., ranked by net worth. The 400 was started by Malcolm Forbes in 1982 and the list is pub ...

list in 2015. As of March 2019, Hayne ranked #1818 on Forbe's Billionaires 2019 list.

Early life and career

Hayne is a 1969 graduate of

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...

with a degree in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

. He co-founded Urban Outfitters, Inc., in 1970 with former wife, Judy Wicks. The couple divorced a year later. The first store was located on the campus of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. Today, the company operates over 400 stores under four brands:

Free People Free People is an American bohemian apparel and lifestyle retail company that sells women’s clothing, accessories, shoes, intimates, and swimwear. It also has a beauty and wellness category, which includes products such as cosmetics, skin, a ...

Anthropologie Anthropologie is an American clothing retailer with approximately 200 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the UK that offers an assortment of clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decoration, beauty products, and gifts. Anthropologie is part of ...

and Terrain, a gardening brand which has standalone stores in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

, and

Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Glen Mills is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Concord Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States about 27 miles west of Philadelphia. T ...

Personal life

Hayne's current wife, Margaret Hayne, joined Urban Outfitters in August 1982. He and his wife have been criticized for donating about $13,000 to then-Senator

Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third ...

until 2006, when Santorum lost his seat to

Bob Casey, Jr. Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Casey previously served as Pe ...

They also came under fire after Urban Outfitters hastily retracted a shirt advocating support for

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

in the wake of the passage of California's Prop 8 in 2008. The company later partnered with the

National Center for Lesbian Rights The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a non-profit, public interest law firm in the United States that advocates for equitable public policies affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, provides free legal ...

to release a different shirt expressing support for same-sex marriage in 2009. He has avoided stating his own views on

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

. The company also partner with gay YouTuber Connor Franta to sell a limited clothing line at the 8 largest stores to raise money for GLSEN. The Haynes have five children, David, Jonathan, Sarah, Annesley ’12, and Judson. They reside in Coatesville, Pennsylvania where they operate the Doe Run Dairy farm.

References

{{Urban Outfitters , state=collapsed American businesspeople in retailing Living people Drexel University alumni Lehigh University alumni 1947 births Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Republicans American billionaires