Ross Perot, billionaire tycoon and 2-time presidential candidate, dies at 89
By Kate Sullivan, Marlena Baldacci and Karl de Vries, CNN
Updated 2:39 PM ET, Tue July 9, 2019
Washington (CNNRoss Perot, the billionaire tycoon who mounted two unsuccessful third-party presidential campaigns in the 1990s, died Tuesday, family spokesman James Fuller confirmed to CNN. He was 89.
Perot died after a five-month battle with leukemia, Fuller said.
A billionaire by his mid-50s after he sold a controlling interest in the data processing business he founded to General Motors for $2.5 billion, Perot's foray into presidential politics made him one of the more colorful political figures of the 1990s.
His Texas twang, populist platform -- he memorably railed against the North American Free Trade Agreement, warning of a "giant sucking sound" of American jobs to other countries if passed -- and frequent TV appearances brought him wide recognition, and his 1992 campaign, in which he garnered nearly 19% of the vote and finished third behind Bill Clinton and incumbent President George H.W. Bush, remains one of the most successful third-party bids in American history.
Watch Ross Perot and Al Gore spar over NAFTA in 1993 01:58
For years, Bush blamed Perot for his defeat, saying in a 2012 HBO documentary that he believed Perot "cost me the election." Election experts and scholarly research, however, has challenged that theory: The New York Times found Perot's effect on the outcome of the election "appears to have been minimal," and The Washington Post reported Clinton would have still won by a large margin if Perot hadn't run.
In 1995, Perot created the Reform Party, and the following year received 8% of the vote in the presidential election as the party's candidate.
Following his second and final bid for the presidency, Perot served as president and CEO of Perot Systems Corporation, which he founded in 1988. He was the head of the company until 2000, when he passed the title on to his son, Ross Perot Jr. Nine years later, Dell Incorporated bought Perot Systems for $3.9 billion, which was a net gain of about $400 million for the Perot family.
Aside from his business and political careers, Perot also received national attention for his efforts during the Vietnam War to create better conditions for US prisoners of war. He traveled to Laos, where he met with ambassadors from Russia and North Vietnam, and was awarded the Medal for Distinguished Public Service by the Department of Defense in 1974 for his efforts. In 1979, when two EDS employees were taken hostage during a revolution in Iran, he organized and paid for a successful private mission called Operation Hotfoot to rescue the men and bring them home.
"In business and in life, Ross was a man of integrity and action. A true American patriot and a man of rare vision, principle and deep compassion, he touched the lives of countless people through his unwavering support of the military and veterans and through his charitable endeavors," Fuller said in a statement. "Ross Perot will be deeply missed by all who loved him. He lived a long and honorable life."
Early success in business
Poster Comment:
That "giant sucking sound" sure did it.
#1: NeoconsNailed To: BTP Holdings (#0)
NeoconsNailed posted on 2019-07-09 22:30:53 Reply Private Reply
#2: Dakmar To: BTP Holdings (#0)
They always die in threes, get in on the ground floor of this pool! :)
Dakmar posted on 2019-07-09 22:57:57 Reply Private Reply
#3: BTP Holdings To: NeoconsNailed (#1)
When he was excluded from the debates at the next election he bought TV air time to get his message out to the people. He had the cash to do it. ;)
BTP Holdings posted on 2019-07-09 22:59:37 Reply Private Reply
#4: Dakmar To: NeoconsNailed (#1)
Perot was a huckster, but a decent guy regardless of that. He was the slimy used car salesman that always made sure the poor were fed. I can't condemn him for that, but would have liked a few minutes with him to explain how he was part of the problem.
Dakmar posted on 2019-07-09 23:02:11 Reply Private Reply
#5: Lod To: NeoconsNailed (#1)
Lod posted on 2019-07-09 23:02:16 Reply Private Reply
#6: Dakmar To: BTP Holdings (#3)
So much for "unbiased" media, right?
Dakmar posted on 2019-07-09 23:03:31 Reply Private Reply
#7: Lod To: BTP Holdings (#3)
Lod posted on 2019-07-09 23:04:23 Reply Private Reply
#8: BTP Holdings To: Dakmar (#2)
Dick Cheney has had 2 heart transplants. If this one gives out he may not get a third.
But my money will have to go on Hildabeast to follow McStain to the grave. ;)
BTP Holdings posted on 2019-07-09 23:04:44 Reply Private Reply
#9: Dakmar To: Lod (#5)
Then there was EDS :)
Dakmar posted on 2019-07-09 23:07:07 Reply Private Reply
#10: Dakmar To: BTP Holdings (#8)
Dakmar posted on 2019-07-09 23:08:00 Reply Private Reply
#11: BTP Holdings To: Dakmar (#10)
You are right. Where Cheney was living, he had ready access to CIA HQ. And he used them at every opportunity. ;)
BTP Holdings posted on 2019-07-09 23:25:27 Reply Private Reply
#12: hondo68 To: BTP Holdings (#0)
Ross breaks out the "Voodoo Stick" on the D&R global crime syndicate.
hondo68 posted on 2019-07-09 23:31:02 Reply Private Reply
#13: Dakmar To: hondo68 (#12)
Dakmar posted on 2019-07-10 00:46:47 Reply Private Reply
#14: hondo68 To: Dakmar (#13)
Voodoo economics.
hondo68 posted on 2019-07-10 00:51:39 Reply Private Reply
#15: Dakmar To: hondo68 (#14)
Dakmar posted on 2019-07-10 00:55:27 Reply Private Reply
#16: NeoconsNailed To: BTP Holdings (#0)
I see per HRP's wikid. page he did some good things, but....... "Perot did not fit the typical stereotype of a conservative southerner [during his political campaigns]; his views were seen as liberal and usually focused on his economic policy to keep support during his campaigns and gain support from both Democratic and Republican voters from his home state of Texas. Perot was pro-choice, supported gay rights, stricter gun controls such as an assault rifle ban and increased research in AIDS.... From 1992, Perot was a pro-choice activist, and a strong supporter of Planned Parenthood."
Did the 92 campaign change him? I tho't it was supposed to work the other way around. Honestly I just don't think he was that passionate about truth and justice -- you can have billions of dollars or you can be conservative, but as a country friend here in SC used to say, "neither is the twain gonna mix".
NeoconsNailed posted on 2019-07-10 01:46:25 Reply Private Reply
#17: Lod To: Dakmar (#9)
While in the Navy, Perot served as an official greeter. In this capacity, he was introduced to a representative of International Business Machines (IBM) who was impressed with Perot and suggested Perot look him up after being discharged. Subsequently, in 1957, A natural-born salesman, Perot moved to Dallas to take a job selling computers for IBM. He was soon drawing the largest commission checks in the company. Perot once said in an interview that "Things were so good in those days at IBM that a salesman could get rich as long as he didn't get drunk during the day. It didn't take a miracle worker to get somewhere."
By 1961, IBM executives decided to set quotas on how much commission a salesperson could earn each year. In 1962, Perot reached his quota by January 18, less than three weeks into the year. While at IBM, Perot had an idea not only to sell computers, but also to lease unused computer time along with software and technical support.
Always on the lookout for new avenues of advancement, Perot again approached IBM executives with a proposal that the company not only sell hardware, but also supply customized software and technical support. IBM wasn't impressed. Rankled by the abrupt dismissal of his idea, Perot went to get a haircut. While waiting his turn, he picked up a copy of Reader's Digest and came across a quotation from Henry Thoreau's Walden: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." He determined then and there to strike out on his own. On his 32nd birthday-June 27, 1962¬-with a $1,000 loan from his wife, Margot, Perot founded Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS).
Lod posted on 2019-07-10 03:01:14 Reply Private Reply