Chris Cline

{{short description|American coal mining entrepreneur and philanthropist}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Chris Cline

| image =

| caption = Chris Cline

| birthname = Christopher Cline

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1958|07|05}}

| birth_place = Isaban, West Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|07|04|1958|07|05}}

| death_place = Abaco Islands, The Bahamas

| occupation = Businessman

| yearsactive = 1980–2019

| spouse = Sabrina J. (nee Holley) Cline
({{abbr|m.|married}} 19??; died 1987){{Citation needed|date=July 2019}}
{{Marriage|Kelly Cline|1993|2000|end = divorced}}

| children = 4

}}

Chris Cline (July 5, 1958 – July 4, 2019) was an American coal baron and philanthropist. He had been the majority owner of Foresight Reserves LP, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.{{cite web|url=http://www.foresight.com/pages/contact.html|title=Contact Foresight Energy|publisher=Foresight.com|accessdate=2015-06-29|archive-date=August 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815172257/http://foresight.com/pages/contact.html|url-status=dead}} Regarded by Bloomberg as the "New King Coal",{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-12/new-king-coal.html|title=New King Coal|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|work=Bloomberg Markets Magazine|date=October 12, 2010|accessdate=June 23, 2011|author=Lippert, John|quote=Chris Cline became a billionaire by betting on a dirty fuel the world can’t get enough of. With maps of 675 square miles of his Illinois mines before him, Chris Cline recalls the moment he knew the coal in those mines would be worth billions of dollars.}} Cline was considered to have been responsible for reviving the Illinois coal industry. His company has over three billion tons of coal reserves across Illinois and northern Appalachian Mountains.{{cite web|url=http://www.carlyle.com/portfolio/item10206.html|title=The Carlyle Group: Foresight Reserves, LP|publisher=Carlyle.com|accessdate=2011-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721195426/http://www.carlyle.com/portfolio/item10206.html|archive-date=2011-07-21|url-status=dead}}

Early life

Cline was born in Beckley, West Virginia, on July 5, 1958. Cline's father was Paul Cline. Cline's mother was Lassie Justice Cline.{{cite web |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article232317567.html |title=Who was billionaire Chris Cline, who died in the Bahamas copter crash? He had Florida ties |publisher=miamiherald.com |first=Howard |last=Cohen |date=July 5, 2019 |accessdate=August 9, 2019}}

Cline's grandfather mined for coal with a pickaxe around Beckley, West Virginia, in the early 20th century. At the age of six, Cline's father, Paul, asked him to fill a paper bag with dirt, paying him a penny for each bag. Cline dug the dirt from under the porch of their bungalow in Isaban, West Virginia. His father used the dirt bags in mine-blasting. Within two years, their porch had collapsed.{{cite news|last=Lippert|first=John|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-12/cline-talking-clean-as-coal-mines-supply-most-energy-since-1970.html|title=Cline Talking Clean as Coal Mines Supply Most Energy Since 1970|publisher=Bloomberg|date=2010-10-12|accessdate=2011-07-10}} According to Cline, his father had told him to "support the roof better". In 1980, Cline's father bought out his partner then gave the shares to Cline, who was then 21 years old.

Education

Cline studied psychology at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

Career

= Coal mining business =

In 1980 at age 22, Cline became an underground miner. He founded his own energy development company, the Cline Group in 1990. In 2006 he organized Foresight Energy to manage his Illinois Basin coal rights. Foresight Energy went public in 2014 on the New York Stock Exchange.[http://www.foresight.com/about/#company About], Foresight Energy, 2019 Cline sold off most of his share of Foresight in 2015, for $1.4 billion.[https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2017/12/19/the-last-coal-tycoon-chris-cline/#19667dac6097 Chris Cline Could Be The Last Coal Tycoon Standing], Christopher Helman, Forbes, December 19, 2017

Illinois holds a 250-year supply of coal, providing the state with the largest recoverable coal reserve in the United States. In 2017, the state consumed nearly $1.4 billion of coal,{{cite web |url=https://www.eia.gov/state/print.php?sid=IL |title=Illinois State Energy Profile |work=U.S. Energy Information Administration |date=2019-04-18 |accessdate=2019-07-07}} with coal mining operations located in 12 counties.{{Cite web|url=http://www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo/Bureaus/Coal|title=Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity–Coal|publisher=Commerce.state.il.us|access-date=2011-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706234941/http://www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo/Bureaus/Coal/|archive-date=2011-07-06|url-status=dead}} However, Illinois coal has too much sulfur to be burned by most power plants because of pollution control requirements. Cline, who spent $300 million on mining rights and equipment in Illinois in the 1990s, had foreseen that the United States Environmental Protection Agency would require power plants to use scrubbers in removing pollutants, which would bring coal back into viability for electricity generation.

In 2005, Cline Group built its Williamson longwall mining operation south of West Frankfort, Illinois.{{Cite web|url=http://www.coalage.com/index.php/features/820-foresight-energy-invests-in-illinois.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128104701/http://www.coalage.com/index.php/features/820-foresight-energy-invests-in-illinois.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-01-28|title=Foresight Energy Invests in Illinois|publisher=Coalage.com|date=2010-12-07|accessdate=2011-07-10}}

The company SNL Financial reported in 2008 that Deer Run coal mine in Montgomery County, Illinois, a project of Cline's Hillsboro Energy LLC, would produce up to eight million tons annually until 2016. In the same report, Cline's representatives stated he was aiming for an annual coal production of 60 million tons from his Illinois operations.{{cite web|last=Cassell|first=Barry|url=http://www.snl.com/interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-7158748-9315|title=Cline's Deer Run coal mine to produce up to 8 million tons per year|publisher=SNL|date=January 9, 2008|accessdate=2011-07-10}}

Illinois environmental groups and landowners attempted to block Cline's coal mine operations, and also sought to draw attention to his local political contributions.{{cite news |last=Rushton |first=Bruce |url=http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x242417430/Activists-raise-concerns-about-coal-mine-slurry-injection-in-Illinois |title=Activists raise concerns about coal mine slurry injection in Illinois |work=The State Journal-Register |date=July 17, 2010 |accessdate=March 20, 2012}}{{cite news |last=Landis |first=Tim |url=http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x1146475865/Deer-Run-producing-development-coal |title=Deer Run producing 'development coal' |work=The State Journal-Register |date=April 25, 2011 |accessdate=March 20, 2012}}

Cline purchased a Nova Scotia metallurgical coal mine after selling off Foresight stock, as well as rights to coal reserves in Western Canada.

Cline defended coal as a source of low-cost energy, saying in a 2010 interview "As far as the social acceptability of coal, I like to think I’m part of supplying the cheapest energy in America."

Philanthropy

In May 2011, the School of Medicine and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics of West Virginia University received a $5 million donation from Cline through his Cline Family Foundation. The donation created the Christopher Cline Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery and helped fund a new basketball practice facility.{{cite web|url=http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2011/5/26/wvu-academics-athletics-receive-5-million-gift-from-cline-family-foundation|title=WVU academics receive $5,000,000 gift from Cline family.|publisher=Wvutoday.wvu.edu|accessdate=2011-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110620093301/http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2011/5/26/wvu-academics-athletics-receive-5-million-gift-from-cline-family-foundation|archive-date=June 20, 2011|url-status=dead}}

In July 2011, Marshall University received a donation of $5 million from the Cline Family Foundation for sports medicine research.{{cite web |url=http://www.huntingtonnews.net/6240 |title=Cline Family Foundation makes $5 million Gift to Marshall University for sports medicine research |publisher=huntingtonnews.net |date=July 20, 2011 |accessdate=August 9, 2019}}

Personal life

Cline's first wife was Sabrina J. Holley Cline. They had a daughter, Candice. In September 1987, Cline's first wife died from breast cancer.

In 1993, Cline married Kelly, his second wife. They divorced in 2000.

The couple had two sons and a daughter, Christopher Logan Cline, Alex Tanner Cline, and Kameron Cline.{{cite news |url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/herald-dispatch/obituary.aspx?pid=193375305 |title=Chris Cline and Cameron Cline |newspaper=legacy.com |accessdate=August 9, 2019}}

In 2011, Cline's daughter Candice, a director of a foundation, married James Graham Kenan.{{cite web |url=https://charlestonweddingsmag.com/feature/a_perfect_start |title=A Perfect Start - A Friendship Leads to a Romantic Day at Runnymede Plantation |publisher= charlestonweddingsmag.com |first=Nicole |last=Warren |date=2012 |accessdate=August 9, 2019}}

Cline owned a {{convert|33,413|sqft|m2|adj=on}} mansion in North Palm Beach, Florida, and a home in his native Beckley, West Virginia, with a {{convert|150|acre|ha|adj=on}} property. Cline was a charter member of Brenton Southern Baptist Church.[https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/05/us/billionaire-chris-cline-dies-bahamas/index.html Billionaire Chris Cline dies in a helicopter crash near the Bahamas, governor says], CNN, Faith Karimi and Sheena Jones, July 5, 2019

Cline also had a relationship with Elin Nordegren, ex-wife of golfer Tiger Woods.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/human-interest/chris-cline-dead-bahamas-helicopter-crash/|title=Billionaire Chris Cline, Elin Nordegren's Ex, Among 7 Dead in Bahamas Helicopter Crash|website=PEOPLE.com|accessdate=July 10, 2019}}

=''Mine Games''=

Cline owned two megayachts that he christened "Mine Games". The first was a 164-footer built by Trinity Yachts, delivered in 2008.[https://megayachtnews.com/2007/08/fun-and-games-aboard-mine-games/ Fun and games aboard Mine Games] August 2007 He sold the yacht in 2013, later purchasing another {{convert|205|ft|m|adj=on}} larger luxury yacht that he also christened "Mine Games".{{cite news|last=Lippert|first=John|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-12/new-king-coal.html|title=New King Coal|publisher=Bloomberg |date=2010-10-12 |accessdate=2012-10-02}} Mine Games, which had five staterooms and its own submarine, was designed and built by Italy-based Benetti in 2010. Cline sold the yacht in the fall of 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://www.boatinternational.com/yacht-market-intelligence/brokerage-sales-news/62-metre-benetti-motor-yacht-mine-games-sold--31631|title=62 metre Benetti motor yacht Mine Games sold|website=Boat International|accessdate=July 10, 2019}}

=Political donations=

In 2015, Jasper Reserves, LLC, owned by Cline, donated one million dollars to Super PACs supporting the presidential candidacy of Jeb Bush.{{cite news|title=Million-Dollar Donors in the 2016 Presidential Race|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/top-presidential-donors-campaign-money.html|accessdate=October 14, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 25, 2015}}

=Threats against family=

On August 20, 2012, Vivek Shah was arrested for the attempted extortion of Chris Cline, Harvey Weinstein, and three other individuals.{{cite web|author=Time Waster|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/harvey-weinstein-extortion-plot-723561|title=Man Busted In Harvey Weinstein Extortion Plot|website=The Smoking Gun|date=August 17, 2012 |accessdate=2012-10-02}} On or around June 26, 2012, Shah threatened to kill members of Cline's family if $13 million was not wired to an offshore bank account.{{cite web|author=Time Waster|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/vivek-shah-affidavit?page=0|title=Vivek Shah Affidavit|website=The Smoking Gun| date=August 17, 2012 |accessdate=2012-10-02}} A seven-count felony indictment against Shah was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in September 2012, and in 2013 he was sentenced to seven years in prison.{{cite news|last1=Dillon|first1=Nancy|title=Man sentenced to 7 years for extortion plot against Harvey Weinstein, others|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-sentenced-7-years-celeb-extortion-scheme-article-1.1453933|accessdate=March 11, 2016|newspaper=New York Daily News|date=September 12, 2013}}

=Death=

On July 4, 2019, Cline died in a helicopter crash in Grand Cay, Bahamas. He was 60 years old.

File:Chris Cline Athletic Complex 2021.jpg

Others who perished in the crash with Cline included his 22-year-old daughter Kameron and three of her friends (Brittney Searson, Jillian Clark and Delaney Wykle). They were traveling back from Bahamas to the United States en route to an American hospital after Kameron and one of her friends fell ill.{{Cite web|last=Kelly|first=William|date=2020-08-24|title=Final seconds revealed before helicopter crash that killed billionaire Chris Cline, six others|url=https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/2020/08/24/final-seconds-revealed-before-helicopter-crash-killed-billionaire-chris-cline-six-others/3429356001/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-03|website=TC Palm|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930001837/https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/2020/08/24/final-seconds-revealed-before-helicopter-crash-killed-billionaire-chris-cline-six-others/3429356001/ |archive-date=September 30, 2020 }} Other casualties were pilot David Jude and co-pilot, Geoffrey Lee Painter, an ex-Royal Air Force pilot from Barnstaple, United Kingdom.{{cite news|url = https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/billionaire-philanthropist-chris-cline-dies-60-n1026671|title = Billionaire coal executive and philanthropist Chris Cline dies at 60|work = NBC News|date = July 4, 2019|accessdate = July 5, 2019|last = Johnson|first = Alex}}[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/06/coal-tycoon-chris-cline-bahamas-helicopter-crash 'Wonderful man and great Republican': Chris Cline dies in helicopter crash], The Guardian, July 6, 2019{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-ne-ap-chris-cline-crash-investigation-20190706-m35rsiccvrazhnp5rvlk52rbb4-story.html|title=Searching for answers in crash that killed Palm Beach County billionaire, his daughter and her friends|agency=Associated Press|website=sun-sentinel.com|date=July 6, 2019 |access-date=2019-07-07}}

In a 2021 report, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the two pilots chose to take off, likely feeling pressured by Cline, despite dark conditions and lack of visual references over water. They became spatially disorientated and crashed into the sea. {{cite news |last= |first= |date=May 29, 2021 |title=NTSB: Pilot error caused fatal helicopter crash in Bahamas |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ntsb-pilot-error-caused-fatal-helicopter-crash-in-bahamas-ntsb-bahamas-florida-jacksonville-west-virginia-b1856195.html |work=The Independent |location= |access-date=May 29, 2021}}

= Legacy =

In 2014, Chris Cline Athletic Complex, an indoor football practice facility at Marshall University, was dedicated for Cline.{{cite web |url=https://marshallparthenon.com/21160/sports/west-virginia-marshall-mourns-loss-of-donor-chris-cline/ |title=West Virginia, Marshall mourns loss of donor Chris Cline |date=July 9, 2019 |publisher=marshallparthenon.com |accessdate=August 9, 2019}}

References

External links

[http://theclinefoundation.org/about/our-story/ theclinefoundation.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810001212/http://theclinefoundation.org/about/our-story/ |date=August 10, 2019 }}

Category:1958 births

Category:2019 deaths

Category:20th-century American businesspeople

Category:21st-century American businesspeople

Category:American billionaires

Category:American businesspeople in the coal industry

Category:Businesspeople from Beckley, West Virginia

Category:Coal in Illinois

Category:Marshall University alumni

Category:People from North Palm Beach, Florida

Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the Bahamas

Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2019