Henry W. Bloch

Henry W. Bloch
Name	Henry W. Bloch
Caption	Henry W. Bloch, co-founder of H&R Block
Birth date	30 July 1922
Birth place	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Death date	23 April 2019
Death place	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Education	University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Businessman, philanthropist
Known for	Co-founding H&R Block
Spouse	Marion Helzberg (m. 1951)
Children	4, including Thomas Bloch

Henry W. Bloch was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist best known for co-founding the international tax preparation company H&R Block. Alongside his brother Richard Bloch, he transformed a small bookkeeping service into a financial services giant, profoundly shaping the tax preparation industry in the United States. A dedicated civic leader, his later life was marked by significant philanthropic contributions to education, the arts, and healthcare in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.

Early life and education

Henry Wollman Bloch was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to a Jewish family, the son of attorney Henry H. Bloch and his wife Fannie (Felix) Bloch. He attended Southwest High School before enrolling at the University of Michigan. His studies were interrupted by service in World War II, after which he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, graduating in 1946. His academic foundation in business and finance provided the critical skills he would later apply to his entrepreneurial ventures.

Military service

During World War II, Bloch served as a B-17 Flying Fortress navigator in the United States Army Air Forces. He flew 31 combat missions over Nazi Germany with the Eighth Air Force, earning the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. His wartime experience, which included surviving being shot down over France, instilled in him a profound sense of discipline and resilience that would characterize his business career.

Career and H&R Block

After the war, Henry and his brother Richard Bloch started the United Business Company, which provided bookkeeping services to small businesses. In 1955, they launched the Tax Preparation service that would become H&R Block, named by combining their surname with an abbreviated version of "block," a suggestion from an advertising agency. The company capitalized on the growing complexity of the U.S. tax code following the Revenue Act of 1951. Under Henry's leadership as CEO and later Chairman, H&R Block grew into a New York Stock Exchange-listed corporation with thousands of offices worldwide, fundamentally democratizing professional tax assistance for the American middle class.

Philanthropy and civic engagement

Bloch was a major philanthropic force in Kansas City, Missouri. He and his wife, Marion Helzberg Bloch, were leading benefactors of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kansas City Symphony, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Their most transformative gift was a $32 million donation to establish the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at UMKC. He also served on the boards of numerous institutions, including the Kansas City Art Institute and the Saint Luke's Health System, dedicating his resources and leadership to the city's cultural and civic infrastructure.

Personal life and death

In 1951, Bloch married Marion Helzberg, a member of another prominent Kansas City family involved with Helzberg Diamonds. The couple had four children: Robert Bloch, Mary Jo Bloch Brown, Thomas Bloch, and Elizabeth Bloch Uhlmann. Thomas later served as CEO of H&R Block. Henry Bloch died of natural causes on April 23, 2019, at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, at the age of 96. He was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Legacy and honors

Henry W. Bloch's legacy is that of a pioneering businessman and a model of civic philanthropy. Beyond building H&R Block into a household name, his charitable work left an indelible mark on Kansas City, Missouri. His numerous honors included the Horatio Alger Award, an honorary doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and the Kansas Citian of the Year award. The Henry W. Bloch School of Management and the Henry W. Bloch Fountain in the UMKC courtyard stand as enduring testaments to his commitment to education and his community.

Category:American businesspeople Category:American philanthropists Category:People from Kansas City, Missouri