William P. Foley II biography covering his age, wife, military background, Fidelity National Financial career, wine business, Vegas Golden Knights ownership, football investments, 2026 NBA expansion bid and net worth.
The William P. Foley II biography spans finance, law, wine, professional sports, hospitality and private investment. Better known as Bill Foley, he built his reputation by transforming Fidelity National Financial into a major title-insurance company before expanding into vineyards, resorts, hockey, football and other businesses.
Foley is especially well known today as the founder and majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL franchise that won the Stanley Cup in 2023. He also leads a growing international football network through Black Knight Football and remains chairman of Fidelity National Financial. In 2026, his sports ambitions expanded again when he joined a bid to bring an NBA franchise to Las Vegas.
William P. Foley II Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | William Patrick Foley II |
| Known As | Bill Foley |
| Date of Birth | December 29, 1944 |
| Age | 81 years old as of 2026 |
| Birthplace | Austin, Texas, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman, investor, sports owner and former attorney |
| Education | United States Military Academy, Seattle University, University of Washington |
| Wife | Carol Johnson Foley |
| Children | Four |
| Known For | Fidelity National Financial, Vegas Golden Knights, Foley Family Wines |
| NHL Team | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Football Organisation | Black Knight Football |
| Current FNF Role | Chairman |
| Current Cannae Role | Vice Chairman |
Early Life and Military Education
William Patrick Foley II was born on December 29, 1944, in Austin, Texas.
His early professional direction was shaped strongly by military education.
Foley attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering. The West Point environment placed a heavy emphasis on discipline, organisation and leadership, qualities that later became recurring features of his business style.
After graduating, Foley served in the United States Air Force.
He eventually attained the rank of captain.
His military career did not become his lifelong profession, but the experience remained important to his identity. Foley has continued supporting military families and organisations throughout his later philanthropic work.
In 2016, West Point recognised him with its Distinguished Graduate Award, one of the academy’s major honours for alumni.
MBA and Law Degree
After leaving active military service, Foley continued his education.
He earned an MBA from Seattle University and later completed a law degree at the University of Washington School of Law.
That combination of engineering, military service, business education and law gave him an unusually broad professional background.
Foley initially practised law before moving deeper into corporate management and financial services.
His legal knowledge proved particularly useful in an industry built around property ownership, transactions, contracts and title insurance.
The business that would define much of his career emerged during the 1980s.
Building Fidelity National Financial
Foley became involved with the company that developed into Fidelity National Financial, commonly known as FNF, in 1984.
At the time, Fidelity’s title-insurance operation was far smaller than the national company it would later become.
Foley became president and chairman and began pursuing an aggressive growth strategy based on acquisitions, consolidation and operating discipline.
Title insurance protects property buyers and lenders against certain defects in ownership records and other problems connected with legal title to real estate.
It is not one of the most publicly visible areas of finance, but it plays a major role in American property transactions.
Under Foley’s leadership, Fidelity expanded substantially.
He served as chief executive officer from 1984 until 2007 and as president until the end of 1994. He later continued as chairman and executive chairman in different periods.
Fidelity National Financial eventually became one of the largest title-insurance companies in the United States.
Foley’s success with FNF also provided the platform for many of the other businesses and investments that followed.
Black Knight and Financial Technology
Foley’s business interests expanded beyond traditional title insurance into technology serving mortgage and real-estate companies.
He played a major role in the businesses that eventually became Black Knight Inc.
Black Knight provided software, data, analytics and workflow technology for mortgage lenders and other participants in the real-estate industry.
Foley served as chairman of Black Knight and its predecessor businesses for several years.
The company eventually became valuable enough to attract a major acquisition.
Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, completed its acquisition of Black Knight in 2023.
The transaction represented another important example of Foley’s long-running strategy: building or consolidating businesses in industries where technology and scale could create greater value.
Cannae Holdings
Another major part of Foley’s investment career has been Cannae Holdings.
Cannae became a publicly traded investment company with interests across several industries.
Foley initially served in senior leadership positions including chairman and, during a later period, chief executive officer and chief investment officer.
In May 2025, he stepped down as Cannae’s chairman and CEO and became vice chairman.
The change allowed him to reduce his day-to-day management responsibilities while remaining involved in strategic decisions.
His areas of focus included Cannae’s sports and entertainment holdings, Black Knight Football, strategic investments and mergers and acquisitions.
That shift reflected a broader pattern in Foley’s later career: less direct management of individual public companies and greater attention to sports, entertainment, wine and investment platforms.
Foley Family Wines and Spirits
Foley’s wine business began in 1996.
He and his wife, Carol Johnson Foley, purchased vineyard property in California’s Santa Rita Hills and established what became Lincourt Vineyards.
The name Lincourt was created from the names of their daughters, Lindsey and Courtney.
That first investment developed into Foley Family Wines & Spirits, a much larger portfolio of wineries, vineyards, spirits brands and hospitality businesses.
The company now controls or represents numerous wine estates and labels across California, Oregon, Washington, New Zealand and other wine-producing regions.
Its portfolio has included brands such as Ferrari-Carano, Chalk Hill, Sebastiani, Silverado, Firestone and Chateau St. Jean.
Foley remains founder, owner and chairman of the organisation.
The wine business also demonstrates how his interests moved beyond financial services into consumer brands, land, tourism and hospitality.
Vegas Golden Knights
Foley’s most visible business achievement outside finance may be the creation of the Vegas Golden Knights.
He led the effort to bring a National Hockey League expansion franchise to Las Vegas.
The team began playing during the 2017-18 NHL season.
Expectations for a new expansion team were relatively modest, but the Golden Knights immediately exceeded them.
Vegas reached the Stanley Cup Final in its first season, an extraordinary achievement for a new franchise.
Foley had publicly set ambitious goals for the organisation from the beginning, including winning a championship within its first several years.
The promise eventually came true.
Winning the Stanley Cup
The Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
Vegas defeated the Florida Panthers in the Final, completing the championship in the franchise’s sixth season.
The victory transformed Foley’s ambitious expansion project into one of the most successful new-team stories in major North American professional sports.
His ownership position also increased after members of the Maloof family sold most of their remaining indirect interests in the team to the Foley family in 2024.
Foley serves as the Golden Knights’ owner, chairman, chief executive and governor.
His broader sports organisation also includes other Las Vegas properties, such as the Henderson Silver Knights and Vegas Knight Hawks.
Buying AFC Bournemouth
Foley expanded into European football in December 2022.
A partnership led by Foley and Cannae Holdings completed the acquisition of AFC Bournemouth, an English football club competing in the Premier League.
Foley became the club’s general partner through Black Knight Football.
The purchase marked the beginning of a much wider football investment strategy.
Rather than owning only one club, Foley developed Black Knight Football into a multi-club organisation designed to share scouting, recruitment, player development and business resources.
By 2026, the network included full or significant interests in clubs across several countries.
Black Knight Football
Black Knight Football’s portfolio grew considerably after the Bournemouth acquisition.
The group expanded into France through FC Lorient, eventually acquiring full ownership.
It also obtained a majority interest in Moreirense FC in Portugal and developed relationships with other clubs and football organisations in different markets.
The group also became closely connected with Auckland FC in New Zealand.
Foley’s football strategy reflects the same approach he used in several corporate businesses: building a network of related assets that can benefit from shared resources and scale.
AFC Bournemouth has also generated significant transfer income under the ownership group, including major player sales.
Football has therefore become an increasingly important part of Foley’s investment portfolio rather than simply a personal sports interest.
2026 NBA Expansion Bid
Foley’s ambitions in professional sports expanded again in 2026.
In June, Foley Entertainment Group confirmed that he was pursuing an NBA expansion franchise for Las Vegas.
He joined forces with experienced basketball executive Jerry Colangelo as part of the ownership effort.
Morgan Stanley was appointed to advise on the financial structure of the bid.
By September 30, 2026, Foley and Colangelo’s group had reportedly become one of three finalists being considered for the Las Vegas expansion team.
The proposal is especially significant because Foley already has extensive sports infrastructure in Southern Nevada through the Golden Knights and related businesses.
His group has also discussed the possibility of developing a new arena if selected.
No final NBA franchise award had been announced as of September 30, 2026.
Wife and Family
William Foley is married to Carol Johnson Foley.
The couple has worked together across business, wine and philanthropic activities.
Carol has been particularly involved in wine-related ventures, including Foley Johnson.
The couple had four children.
Their son William Patrick Foley III, known as Patrick, died in 2018 at the age of 31.
Their children have also been involved in parts of the family’s businesses.
Courtney Foley, for example, has worked within Foley Family Wines as a second-generation vintner.
Foley generally keeps much of his family life outside the spotlight despite his significant public business profile.
Philanthropy and the Folded Flag Foundation
Military families remain an important part of Foley’s charitable work.
He helped establish the Folded Flag Foundation, which provides educational support to spouses and children of members of the United States military and government personnel who die in service.
Foley serves as chairman of the organisation.
He and Carol are also active supporters of education and children’s causes.
Additional philanthropic work has been connected with the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation and the Foley Family Charitable Foundation.
His military background gives the Folded Flag Foundation particular personal significance within his broader philanthropic activities.
William P. Foley II Compensation
Foley continues to receive substantial compensation from public companies in which he holds leadership roles.
For 2025, corporate filings reported total compensation of approximately $8.3 million connected with his roles at Fidelity National Financial and F&G Annuities & Life.
The amount included fees for his work as non-executive chairman of Fidelity National Financial and stock awards connected with his position as executive chairman of F&G.
This figure should not be confused with his total annual income.
Foley also owns significant business interests outside these companies, including sports teams, wine operations and private investments.
William P. Foley II Net Worth
William P. Foley II is a billionaire businessman.
Forbes-related 2026 wealth data has placed his fortune at approximately $2.6 billion.
As with all billionaire rankings, that amount should be understood as an estimate rather than a precise cash balance.
Much of Foley’s wealth is tied to ownership interests in public companies, private businesses, real estate, sports franchises, wineries and other assets whose values can change.
The Vegas Golden Knights alone have become significantly more valuable since Foley acquired the expansion franchise.
His ownership positions in Fidelity-related businesses, Cannae investments, Foley Family Wines, hospitality assets and football clubs also contribute to his overall wealth.
A precise independent calculation would require full information about liabilities, private-company valuations and ownership percentages.
The available evidence nevertheless supports describing Foley as a billionaire whose fortune was built primarily through financial services before expanding into numerous other sectors.
Conclusion
The William P. Foley II biography reflects an unusually broad business career.
He began with military service and law before transforming Fidelity National Financial into a major title-insurance company. From there, his activities expanded into financial technology, investment companies, wineries, resorts and professional sports.
The Vegas Golden Knights became perhaps his most visible achievement, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in their first season and winning the championship in 2023.
Foley then expanded into international football through AFC Bournemouth and Black Knight Football.
At 81, he remained active in major investments in 2026. His pursuit of an NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas shows that he continues to seek large-scale opportunities even after more than four decades as a corporate leader.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is William P. Foley II?
William P. Foley II, commonly known as Bill Foley, is an American billionaire businessman, investor and professional sports owner. He is chairman of Fidelity National Financial and majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights.
How old is William P. Foley II?
William P. Foley II was born on December 29, 1944. He is 81 years old as of September 2026.
Who is Bill Foley’s wife?
Bill Foley is married to Carol Johnson Foley. The couple has been involved together in wine businesses, charitable activities and other family ventures.
Does Bill Foley own the Vegas Golden Knights?
Yes. Foley is the founder and majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights. The team won its first Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
Does William Foley own AFC Bournemouth?
Foley leads the ownership group behind AFC Bournemouth through Black Knight Football. The group acquired the Premier League club in December 2022.
Is Bill Foley trying to buy an NBA team?
Yes. In 2026, Foley joined a bid to secure an NBA expansion franchise for Las Vegas. As of September 30, 2026, his group was reportedly among the finalists, but no franchise had yet been formally awarded.
What is William P. Foley II’s net worth?
William P. Foley II’s net worth has been estimated at about $2.6 billion in 2026. The figure can change because much of his wealth is tied to companies, sports franchises, investments, wineries and other privately valued assets.
