Erik Prince facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erik Prince
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Prince in 2015
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| Born | June 6, 1969 Holland, Michigan, U.S.
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| Education | Hillsdale College (BA) |
| Known for | Founder of Blackwater |
| Spouse(s) |
Joan Prince
(m. 1991; died 2003)Joanna Houck
(m. 2004; div. 2012)
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| Children | 12 |
| Parent(s) |
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| Relatives | Betsy DeVos (sister) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Navy |
| Rank |  Lieutenant |
| Unit | United States Navy SEALs |
Erik Dean Prince (born June 6, 1969) is an American businessman and investor. He is a former officer in the United States Navy SEALs, a special operations force. Prince is best known as the founder of Blackwater, a company that provides security services. He was Blackwater's CEO until 2009 and its chairman until 2010. Erik Prince is the son of businessman Edgar Prince and the brother of Betsy DeVos, who was a U.S. Secretary of Education.
Contents
Early Life and Military Service
Erik Prince was born on June 6, 1969, in Holland, Michigan. He was the youngest of four children. After high school, Prince attended the United States Naval Academy for a short time. He then earned a degree in economics from Hillsdale College in 1992. While in college, he volunteered as a firefighter and an emergency medical technician.
In 1990, Prince worked as an intern at the White House for President George H. W. Bush. He later interned for California congressman Dana Rohrabacher.
After college, Prince joined the United States Navy in 1992. He became a Navy SEAL, which is a highly trained special forces unit. He served in places like Haiti, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Prince realized during his time as a SEAL that there was a need for private training for special operations. He left the Navy in 1995.
Starting Blackwater
In 1997, Erik Prince moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia. He used his own money to start a company called Blackwater Worldwide. He bought a large area of land in North Carolina to build a training facility for special operations. The name "Blackwater" comes from the dark, peat-colored swamps in that area.
Prince has said that the terrible events of the 1994 Rwandan genocide influenced his decision to create Blackwater. He felt it was important to act when bad things happened in the world.
From 1997 to 2010, Blackwater received many contracts from the U.S. government for security services. They earned billions of dollars, including contracts from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Blackwater became the largest private security company working for the U.S. State Department. They provided many guards for embassies and bases in other countries.
Blackwater faced criticism after an incident in Baghdad in September 2007. During this event, Blackwater employees were involved in a shooting that resulted in the deaths of Iraqi civilians. Prince stated that no one under Blackwater's protection was ever killed or injured. He also mentioned that 30 Blackwater personnel died while on missions.
Prince believed Blackwater could offer a more efficient way to provide security services, similar to how a private delivery company might be more efficient than a government postal service. He resigned as CEO of Blackwater in 2009 and sold the company in 2010.
Later Ventures and Activities
Working for the United Arab Emirates
After selling Blackwater, Prince moved to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2010. He was hired to help the UAE create a new security force. He helped start a company called Reflex Responses (R2) and worked to recruit troops for this new force.
In 2011, Prince was involved in training a group of 2,000 Somalis. This group was being trained to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Several Arab countries and the United States supported this program.
Investments in Africa
Prince leads a private investment firm called Frontier Resource Group. He was also the chairman of Frontier Services Group, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This company focuses on logistics and transport, especially in Africa. It is supported by a large Chinese state-owned company. Prince's businesses help Chinese companies invest in oil and gas in Africa.
In 2014, Prince planned to build a diesel refinery in South Sudan, but the project was put on hold. Frontier Services Group also worked on transporting supplies for oil production in South Sudan. Prince also sold military helicopters and jets to the government of South Sudan.
Frontier Services Group bought parts of two aviation companies in Kenya to help with logistics for the oil and gas industry there. Prince also bought a share in an Austrian aviation company. He had this company modify crop-duster planes with surveillance equipment and weapons.
Ties to Trump Campaigns
Reports in 2018 and 2019 mentioned that Erik Prince attended meetings related to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. One meeting in August 2016 involved Donald Trump Jr. and others. Prince later said he was there to discuss policy.
Another meeting took place in the Seychelles in January 2017. Prince attended this meeting with officials from the UAE and a Russian businessman. Some officials believed this meeting was an attempt to create a private way for the Trump team to communicate with Russia. Prince denied that he was representing the Trump team or that the meeting was a secret communication channel.
Investigations later found evidence that contradicted some of Prince's statements about these meetings. In 2019, a congressional committee chairman suggested that Prince might have given false information. The U.S. Department of Justice began an investigation into this in 2020.
Other Activities
In 2019, it was reported that Prince traveled to Venezuela to meet with an aide to Nicolas Maduro, the country's leader. This led to questions about whether he violated U.S. sanctions against the Venezuelan government.
The New York Times reported in 2020 that Prince had recruited former intelligence agents. These agents were reportedly meant to gather information on political campaigns and other groups that were seen as against the Trump administration. These efforts were said to assist Project Veritas, a conservative organization.
In 2020, reports also suggested that Prince offered his services to a Russian security group for activities in Mozambique and Libya. A United Nations report revealed connections between Prince and a Libyan military leader, Khalifa Haftar. Prince reportedly proposed an $80 million deal to supply aircraft and military equipment to Haftar's forces in 2019. This project, called "Project Opus," involved buying helicopters and other equipment. The UN also tracked the transfer of three aircraft owned by Erik Prince to a mercenary firm linked to him for use in Libya.
Personal Life
Erik Prince lives in both Middleburg, Virginia, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He became a Catholic in 1992 and describes himself as a practicing member of the church.
Political Views
Prince describes himself as a libertarian. This means he believes in limited government and free markets. He thinks that private organizations and charities are often better at solving problems than the government.
His time as a White House intern helped shape his political views. He saw things he disagreed with, which made him feel that the government was too large and inefficient.
Contributions to Causes
Between 1998 and 2007, Prince donated money to Republican and other political causes. In 2016, he contributed to Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
Prince also serves as vice president of the Prince Foundation, a charity started by his parents. He also founded the Freiheit ("Liberty") Foundation, which supported conservative causes. He has donated to conservative Christian organizations and political groups. After the incident in Baghdad involving Blackwater, Prince supported a Muslim orphanage in Afghanistan and helped build mosques at Blackwater bases.
Family
Erik Prince is the younger brother of Betsy DeVos, who was the U.S. Secretary of Education. He is also the brother-in-law of Dick DeVos.
Prince's first wife, Joan Nicole, passed away from cancer in 2003. They had four children together. He later married Joanna Houck and then Stacy DeLuke. Erik Prince has twelve children in total.
See also
- Links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies
- Report On the Investigation Into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election
- Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day)
- Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia
