Richard Hayne

Who is Richard Hayne?

Richard Hayne is the president and CEO of Urban Outfitters, an American chain of clothing retailers; Hayne has been the chairman and president since 1976 and the CEO since the retirement of Glen Senk in January 2012. At a net worth of $1.8 billion, Hayne is the #262 richest person in the U.S. according to the 2008 Forbes 400 list, a ranking of the 400 richest Americans by net worth. He is included in the Top 40 richest people in Pennsylvania. He is a 1969 graduate of Lehigh University with a degree in anthropology.

He co-founded Urban Outfitters, Inc. in 1970 with former wife, Judy Wicks. The couple divorced a year later, in 1971. The first store was located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Today, the company operates over 200 stores under four brands: Urban Outfitters, Free People, Anthropologie and Terrain.

Hayne's current wife, Margaret Hayne joined Urban Outfitters in August 1982. He and his wife have been criticized for donating about $13,000 to then-Senator Rick Santorum until 2006, when Santorum lost his seat to Bob Casey, Jr.. They also came under fire after Urban Outfitters hastily retracted a shirt advocating support for same-sex marriage in the wake of the passage of California's Prop 8 in 2008. The company later partnered with the National Center for Lesbian Rights to release a different shirt expressing support for marriage equality in 2009. Hayne has avoided stating his own views on homosexuality.