Walter Scott Jr. (May 21, 1931 – September 25, 2021) was an American billionaire businessman, civil engineer, philanthropist, and CEO of

Kiewit Corporation Kiewit Corporation is an American construction company based in Omaha, Nebraska founded in 1884. In 2021, it was ranked 243rd on the Fortune 500. Privately held, it is one of the largest construction and engineering organizations in North America ...

. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated at US$4.2 billion.

Education

He graduated from

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...

in 1953 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

Career

Scott was first elected to the

board in 1964. In 1979, he was elected president. When

Peter Kiewit Kiewit Corporation is an American construction company based in Omaha, Nebraska founded in 1884. In 2021, it was ranked 243rd on the Fortune 500. Privately held, it is one of the largest construction and engineering organizations in North America ...

died later that same year, Scott was selected to succeed him as chairman. He sat on the board of

Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer, the company transitioned into a conglomerate starting in 1965 under the management of c ...

, and was a childhood friend of

Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of the conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is ...

. He was also on the board of directors of

Burlington Resources Burlington Resources Inc. was a company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration. In 2006, the company was acquired by ConocoPhillips. History In 1988, the company was formed to own the resource assets of Burlington Northern Railroad. The company became ...

, Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises, Level 3 Communications Inc., MidAmerican Energy Holdings,

RCN Corporation RCN Corporation, originally Residential Communications Network, founded in 1993 and based in Princeton, New Jersey, was the first American facilities-based ("overbuild") provider of bundled cable telephony, cable television, and internet s ...

, Valmont Industries, and Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc, and was the chairman of the Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress. He was a director of the

Joslyn Art Museum The Joslyn Art Museum, commonly referred to as the Joslyn, is a fine arts museum in Omaha, Nebraska, the largest in the state. It opened in 1931 at the initiative of Sarah H. Joslyn, in memory of her husband, businessman George A. Joslyn. Sinc ...

, Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation, and the Omaha Development Foundation. Nationally, he was a director of the

Horatio Alger Association The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to promote and ensure the American Dream for future generations, honor the achievements of outstanding Am ...

and the National Forest Association. Scott was chairman of

Level 3 Communications Level 3 Communications, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications and Internet service provider company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. It ultimately became a part of CenturyLink (now Lumen Technologies), where Level 3 Pres ...

Philanthropy

Scott consistently ranked among the wealthiest Americans. With his wife, Suzanne, he founded the public,

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation which has funded the Scott Atrium & Education Center at

University of Nebraska Medical Center The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is a Public university, public Academic health science centre, academic health science center in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1869 and chartered as a private medical college in 1881, UNMC became p ...

, the Scott Technology Center in Omaha, and The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. In June 2010, when

appealed to him to join the

Giving Pledge The Giving Pledge is a charitable campaign, founded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, to encourage wealthy people to contribute a majority (i.e. more than 50%) of their wealth to philanthropic causes. , the pledge has had 236 signatories from 28 ...

, he partially accepted, stating that after his death his remaining estate will go into his eponymous foundation. In 2011, he committed $10 million to the construction of Engineering II, a $70 million, building which will house interdisciplinary energy, environment and health programs at

. In November 2016, it was announced Scott would be donating $53.3 million to Colorado State University School of Engineering, CSU's largest ever gift, and that the College of Engineering at CSU will be renamed the Walter Scott Jr. College of Engineering, becoming the only named college of engineering in the state of Colorado.

Collector

In 1996, Scott acquired the original sales document of the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

for his private collection.

Honors and awards

Scott became an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over ...

in 1946 and was a recipient of the

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is awarded to an Eagle Scout who has achieved extraordinary national-level recognition, fame, or eminence within their profession ...

. He received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

in 1991, presented by Awards Council member

Dennis Washington Dennis R. Washington (born 1934) is an American billionaire industrialist who owns, or co-owns controlling interests in, a large consortium of privately held companies collectively known as the Washington Companies and, in Canada, another collec ...

. Scott was the Host of the 1998 Achievement Summit in

Jackson Hole, Wyoming Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre Range, Gros Ventre and Teton Range, Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, Wyoming, T ...

Personal life

Scott's second wife, Suzanne ( Marshall; 1930-2013) had been a good friend of his late first wife, Carolyn Jane ( Falk; 1932-1983), but did not know Walter. They wed in 1987 at the Countryside Community Church. Suzanne Scott died in 2013, aged 83. Walter Scott died on September 25, 2021, at the age of 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Walter Jr. 1931 births 2021 deaths Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska 21st-century American philanthropists American billionaires Colorado State University alumni