Peter Lewis, Supporter of the Arts and Progressive Causes

Age at death: 80

Major philanthropic role: Peter Lewis donated more than $582-million, mostly to the arts, education, and liberal causes. Last year he signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half of his wealth to charitable causes.

How he earned his money: He built Progressive Corporation, an automobile-insurance company founded by his father, into one of the nation’s largest insurers, with annual sales of $16-billion.

How he made his mark: His donations paid for iconic buildings by the architect Frank Gehry at Princeton University, Mr. Lewis’s alma mater, and at Case Western Reserve University, in his hometown of Cleveland. He also supported the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for American Progress, and organizations that work on reproductive rights, the legalization of marijuana, and ensuring the rights of lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender people.

How he will be remembered: Mr. Lewis was vocal about his opposition to some charities’ policies and made several high-profile protests. After giving the Guggenheim Museum $77-million and serving on the board of its foundation for 11 years, he resigned in 2005, saying he didn’t think the museum’s international expansion plans were wise. Before that, he stopped donating to nonprofit organizations in Cleveland for an entire year after the cost of a building he agreed to pay for on the campus of Case Western Reserve University grew beyond initial estimates. In that case, Mr. Lewis’s efforts to get the entire board of the university to resign failed, and he said that trustees of Cleveland charities had become too closely connected with one another. “I have no mandate to give a dime to anybody,” he said at the time.