Edward P. Evans, also known as Ned Evans, (January 31, 1942 – December 31, 2010) was an American heir, businessman, investor, horse breeder and philanthropist. He was the chairman and CEO of

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

from 1979 to 1989. He was the owner of Spring Hill Farm, a horse farm in

Fauquier County, Virginia Fauquier County is a county (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton, Virginia, Warrenton. Fa ...

. He is the namesake of

Edward P. Evans Hall Edward P. Evans Hall is the main building of the Yale School of Management at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Designed by Foster and Partners, it was named for alumnus Edward P. Evans, and completed in 2013. It is known for its arc ...

, the main building at the

Yale School of Management The Yale School of Management (also known as Yale SOM) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. The school awards the Master of Business Admi ...

Early life

Edward P. Evans was born on January 31, 1942, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father,

Thomas Mellon Evans Thomas Mellon Evans (September 8, 1910 – July 17, 1997) was an American financier who was one of the country's early corporate raiders, as well as a philanthropist and Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder who with Pleasant Colony won the 19 ...

, was a corporate raider, horse breeder and philanthropist. He had two brothers. Evans was educated at the

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

. He earned a bachelor's degree from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1964 and a master in business administration from the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

in 1967.

Business career

Evans began his career by working for his father. By the 1970s, he became the chairman and chief executive officer of one of his family businesses, H.K. Porter, Inc. He acquired 15% of

in 1979 and served as its chairman and CEO until 1989, when he sold it to the

Maxwell Communication Corporation Maxwell Communication Corporation plc was a leading British media business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It collapsed in 1991 following the death of its titular owner. History Format ...

for $2.8 billion. He subsequently became an investor.

Equine interests

Evans was the owner of Spring Hill Farm, a 2,800-acre horse farm near Casanova in

. His 250 horses included

Saint Liam Saint Liam (April 13, 2000 – August 22, 2006) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who was voted 2005 Eclipse Award Horse of the Year honors after winning the Donn Handicap, Stephen Foster, Woodward Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic. He died ...

Quality Road Quality Road (foaled March 23, 2006, in Virginia) is a retired American Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse and successful sire. Background Quality Road was bred and owned by Edward P. Evans. He was sired by Elusive Quality, who also sired 200 ...

, Minstrella,

Summer Colony Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

and Gygistar. According to Glenn Petty of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, "Since entering the business in the 1970’s, Evans (and a very few select partners over the years) has produced the earners of more than $75 million." Evans was a member of

The Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, among ...

. According to ''

The Blood-Horse ''The Blood-Horse'' (also referred to simply as ''Blood-Horse'' and displayed on its nameplate in upright all-capital letters without hyphenation as BLOODHORSE) is a news magazine that originated in 1916 as a monthly bulletin of the Thoroughbred ...

'', "He was recognized by the

Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) is an American trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, which is based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, TOBA's stated mission is to "improve the economics, i ...

as Virginia’s Breeder of the Year 10 times, most recently in 2010, and he was TOBA’s National Breeder of the Year in 2009."

Death and legacy

Evans died of leukemia on December 31, 2010, at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Shortly before his death, Evans donated $50 million to the

at his alma mater, Yale University, where the

was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Edward P. 1942 births 2010 deaths People from Fauquier County, Virginia Phillips Academy alumni Yale University alumni Benefactors of Yale University Harvard Business School alumni American chief executives American chairpersons of corporations American investors American racehorse owners and breeders Deaths from leukemia in New York (state) 20th-century American philanthropists Mellon family