(WTNH)–It never occurred to Annie Lamont that she would ever live in the state of Connecticut, let alone become its First Lady.
As a child, she was a lover of math and was very serious about school. Today, she’s among the most successful female venture capitalists in the United States. Annie is passionate about changing the world and supporting entrepreneurs who can dream big.
Her early days made her who she is.
The story begins 62 years ago. Annie Huntress was born in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. Population: 17,000.
A favorite book series: Nancy Drew. She related to Drew as a problem solver, and Drew just happened to have a boyfriend named Ned who drove a convertible. Of course, Annie would go on to marry a Ned who also drove a convertible.
She grew up in a very modest three bedroom home with 1 and a half bathrooms in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, about 15 miles outside of Milwaukee. She describes her childhood as wonderful.
“It was an incredibly happy childhood,” Lamont said. “There were four of us and we lived in a neighborhood where there were lots of kids and we’d spill out on the streets and play all summer long.”
They had chores to do around the house, They were listed on the refrigerator, and they’d get a star by their name when the job was done.
Dad, Carroll, owned a small real estate business where he worked long hours and Mom, Betsy, was the consummate volunteer housekeeper. Born during the depression, nothing was ever wasted.
“We were taught to wash out our little Glad bags and reuse them, and we were careful about everything. It was also the work ethic and the old golden rule,” Lamont said.
Lamont, whose parents have passed, says her Mom was strict, but loving, and her Dad was a decorated World War II veteran who saved a soldier by pulling him back over enemy lines and was awarded a Bronze star.
“My Dad, I get teary when I talk about him, the sweetest person you’d ever know, just the kindest, sweetest person,” she said.
Money was cobbled together so Lamont could go to Stanford University.
“Somehow my parents made it work,” Lamont said. “It was obviously a struggle and I did have to drop out my junior year and I worked and made up credits at the University of Wisconsin.”
But she was able to finish her final year of college at Stanford because of a loving gift; her Dad cashed in his life insurance policy to pay for her tuition.
Her Dad put on a top hat for her wedding to Ned Lamont, the then business guy. Their union had come together quickly, a friend fixed them up. She just happened to live a block away from him in Westport. She was a Beatles fan, he preferred The Rolling Stones and they were married within the year. Nearly forty years later, they remain soul mates.
Annie Lamont has been in investments for decades and loves helping entrepreneurs who want to improve the world.
She defines her role as First Lady of Connecticut this way: “Certainly being an advocate for women in the state, entrepreneurship in the state.”
With so much of life lived, Annie Lamont, the Midwestern girl who fell in love with Connecticut, wants you to know this: “I am just a normal person, I’m a normal person that became successful, but I really came from nothing.”
She added, “I love this state…I want people to feel galvanized to feel committed themselves…talking about ‘How do we make this place better?'”
The Lamonts have three children. Their two daughters and one son are all entrepreneurs who live in New York City.
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