Ross Perot

Ross Perot, born on June 27, 1930, in Texarkana, Texas, was a prominent American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. After serving as a naval officer, he began his career as a salesman for IBM, which laid the foundation for his future entrepreneurial ventures. In 1962, he founded Electronic Data Systems, a pioneering data processing service company that caught the attention of General Motors, which acquired a controlling interest in the company for two point four billion dollars in 1984.

In 1988, Perot established Perot Systems and became an influential figure in the tech industry, even serving as an angel investor for NeXT, the computer company founded by Steve Jobs. His business acumen was matched by his political engagement, particularly concerning the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue, where he advocated for the recognition of American servicemen left behind in Southeast Asia.

Perot's political career peaked with his independent campaigns for the U.S. presidency in 1992 and 1996. In 1992, he captured the public's attention by advocating for a balanced budget and opposing job outsourcing. Despite withdrawing from the race briefly, he returned to secure a spot on all fifty state ballots, ultimately garnering over nineteen point seven million votes, which represented an impressive eighteen point nine percent of the popular vote.

In 1996, he ran again as the nominee of the Reform Party, achieving eight point four percent of the popular vote against President Clinton and Republican nominee Bob Dole. After his 1996 campaign, Perot stepped back from seeking public office but continued to influence politics by endorsing candidates like George W. Bush in 2000 and Mitt Romney in subsequent elections. He passed away from leukemia at the age of eighty-nine in Dallas, Texas, in July 2019, leaving behind a legacy as a significant figure in both business and politics.