Montana governor, first lady buy mansion for $4M for governor's residence, will donate it to state
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and first lady Susan Gianforte announced their private purchase of the historic Samuel T. Hauser House in Helena, Mont., historic mansion district on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. The home will serve as their primary residence in Helena and they plan to donate it to the State of Montana. (Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP)
HELENA (AP) — Montana's Gov. Greg Gianforte and first lady Susan Gianforte have purchased a historic Helena mansion for $4 million that they eventually plan to donate to the state for use as the governor's mansion, the governor's office announced Monday.
Gianforte, a Republican, is a multimillionaire who founded a cloud computing company that sold to Oracle in 2011 in a $1.5 billion deal.
"Susan and I are fortunate to have achieved the American dream, and with that, we believe we have an obligation to give back," Gianforte said in a statement.
The Hauser House was built in 1885 by Samuel T. Hauser, an entrepreneur and one of Montana's territorial governors. It was also once owned by former Montana Gov. Tim Babcock.
The nine-bedroom property, which is on the National Register of Historic Homes, was listed for sale for $6.18 million in June. Its assessed value with Lewis and Clark County is nearly $1.36 million.
The Gianfortes purchased the home last week and it will be their primary residence in Helena, his office said.
"Following my service, we will donate this home to the State and the people of Montana," Gianforte said in a statement.
Officials in the governor's office did not immediately respond to a question asking what might happen to the existing governor's mansion near the Capitol, which has been closed since 2021 for renovations.
The Legislature has appropriated more than $2 million for the work. The Department of Administration, which maintains the house, said the renovations have been put on hold because of supply chain delays and a worker shortage that kept increasing the costs.
The Department of Administration will decide whether to accept the donated mansion and, if so, what the state would use it for.
Gianforte "is committed to ensuring future First Families have a governor's residence that is in good repair, safe, healthy, and family-friendly, all while ensuring the state is a good steward of taxpayer resources," the statement said.
Gianforte's first term in office ends in January 2025. He has not said whether he will seek reelection, though he is widely expected to.