Robert Bass

Robert Muse Bass (born 1948) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Aerion Corporation, an American aerospace firm in Reno, Nevada which seeks to build the first supersonic business jets. Bass was worth approximately $4 billion in 2010 on oil and other investments Bass has served on the Texas Highway & Public Transportation Commission.

Robert Muse Bass was born in 1948 in Fort Worth, Texas. His father, Perry Richardson Bass, was an heir and investor. His mother, Nancy Lee Bass, was a philanthropist. He has three brothers Lee Marshall Bass, Ed Bass and Sid Bass. His uncle is Sid Richardson

Bass graduated from Yale University, where he received a bachelor of arts degree. He received a master in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Bass's father founded Bass Brothers Enterprises in 1960 after inheriting $11 million from their great uncle Sid W. Richardson in 1959. In 1985, he founded the Robert M. Bass Group as his person investment company. Additionally, Bass serves as the chairman of Aerion Corporation and president of Keystone, Inc. He founded Oak Hill Capital Partners in 1986.

Taft Broadcasting was purchased by TFBA Limited Patnership, which included Robert M. Bass, in April 1987 for $1.43 billion taking the company private. Bass in March 1988 sold the Plaza Hotel to Donald Trump thanks to their mutual friend Thomas J. Barrack Jr.. He led a buy out Bell & Howell in April 1988. In June 1988, Bass made an offer to purchase Macmillan Inc., the publishing and information company, but the company responded with a restructuring.

Bass is past chairman of Stanford University's board of trustees, Stanford Management Company, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Cook Children’s Medical Center. He is a trustee of Stanford University, a director of Stanford Management Company, a trustee of the Brookings Institution, a trustee of Rockefeller University, Groton School, Middlesex School, and the Amon Carter Museum.

Bass and his wife Anne donated $13 million to fund the renovation of Yale's Cross Campus Library, which was renamed the Bass Library. In 2005, they donated $30 million to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2013, they donated $50 million to Duke University to support Bass Connections, an initiative to encourage cross disciplinary collaboration and studies. In 2001, Bass and his wife donated $10 million to Duke to strengthen undergraduate teaching. They also donated $10 million in 1996 to establish the Bass Society of Fellows at Duke.

Bass is married to Anne T. Bass. They have four children together. One daughter, Margaret, was featured in an article showing the importance of connections in university admissions which clearly factored into her acceptance at Stanford. They reside in Woodside, California.