From: goldman@atlantis.eid.anl.gov (Daniel A. Goldman)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Perot Info: Biography of Ross Perot
Keywords: Perot biography
Date: 8 Apr 92 14:37:30 GMT
Article-I.D.: mcs.1992Apr8.143730.5836
Reply-To: goldman@atlantis.eid.anl.gov
Distribution: usa
Organization: Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois

From the Perot Petition Committee:

Biography of Ross Perot

Ross Perot was born June 27, 1930, in Texarkana, Texas. He grew up in Texarkana  
where he attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College.

Perot's parents, Ross and Lulu May Perot, have been the major influences in  
both his and his sister Bette's lives. Although the family lived in modest  
circumstances, Perot has repeatedly stated that he was born rich because of his  
parents.

Beginning at age seven, Perot worked at various jobs throughout his boyhood,  
including:
	- Breaking horses
	- Selling Christmas cards
	- Selling garden seeds
	- Selling magazines
	- Buying and selling bridles and saddles
	- Buying and selling horses and calves
	- Delivering newspapers
	- Collecting for classified ads
	
	
He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1949 and graduated in 1953. While  
at the Naval Academy, he served as class president, chairman of the honor  
committee, and battalion commander.

After graduation, Perot served at sea for four years on a destroyer and  
aircraft carrier.

In 1956, he married Margot Birmingham from Greensburg, Pennsylvania whom he met  
while a midshipman at the Naval Academy. Upon his honorable discharge from the  
Navy in 1957, Ross and Margot settled in Dallas where he went to work for IBM's  
data processing division as a salesman.

Margot taught school during the early years of their marriage. In 1962, she  
loaned Perot $1,000 from her savings account to start a one-man data processing  
company. He named the company Electronic Data Systems. Today, EDS is a  
multi-billion dollar corporation, employing more than 70,000 people.

Ross and Margot have been married for thirty-five years. They live in Dallas.  
They have five children - Ross Jr., Nancy, Suzanne, Carolyn, and Katherine. The  
Perots currently have four grandchildren, and are looking forward to the births  
of two more this year.

In 1969, the US government asked Perot to determine what action might be taken  
to improve the brutal treatment our POW's were receiving in Southeast Asia. He  
worked on this project for the next four years placing himself and his family  
at considerable personal risk, until the prisoners were released in 1973 at the  
end of the war. In recognition of his efforts, Perot received the Medal for  
Distinguished Public Service, the highest civilian award presented by the  
Department of Defense.

When two EDS employees were taken hostage by the Iranian government in 1979,  
Perot directed a successful rescue mission composed of EDS employees and led by  
Colonel Arthur "Bull" Simons. Perot personally went into Iran, and inside the  
prison where his associates were held. Noted author, Ken Follett, wrote a  
best-selling novel, On Wings of Eagles, about the rescue. An NBC Television  
miniseries was later made about this event.

Later that same year, the governer of Texas requested Perot's help in dealing  
with the growing problem of the use of illegal drugs in the state. Perot led  
the Texans' War on Drugs committee that proposed five laws to make Texas the  
least desirable state for illegal drug operations. All five bills were passed  
by the legislature and signed into law.

In 1984, another Texas governor asked for Perot's assistance with a  
deteriorating situation - the quality of public education in the state.  
Recognizing that a first-class educational system is the foundation for  
economic improvement, Perot led the effort to reform the school system. This  
program resulted in major legislative changes and improvements in Texas public  
schools. 

Perot accepted another challenge that same year when he sold EDS to General  
Motors for $2.5 billion. The ownership that he retained in the company made him  
GM's largest individual stockholder and a member of the board of directors.  
After major disagreements over the quality of GM automobiles, Perot resigned  
from the the GM board in 1986.

In 1988, Perot started a new computer service company, Perot Systems. Today the  
company operates in the United States and Europe.

Perot has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including:

	The Winston Churchill Award. Perot was the third recipient and the only  
businessman to receive this award, given to those who best exemplify the  
imagination, boldness, and vigor of the late British prime minister. The  
presentation was made by Prince Charles in 1986.
	
	The Raoul Wallenberg Award. As the first recipient of this award, Perot  
was honored for a lifetime of service that embodies the spirit, courage and  
dedication of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved more than  
100,000 Hungarian Jews from the Nazis in World War II.
	
	The Jefferson Award for Public Service
	
	The Patrick Henry Award. Perot was the first recipient of this award  
given to an American for outstanding service to his country.
	
	The National Business Hall of Fame Award
	
	The Sarnoff Award for contributions to the electronics industry.
	
	The Eisenhower Award for support of our Armed Forces.
	
	The Smithsonian Computerworld Award. As the first recipient of this  
award, Perot was recognized for his contributions to the computer industry.
	
	The Horatio Alger Award. This award is presented to individuals who  
overcome obstacles to achieve significant success in their careers.
	
In 1984, Perot purchased the only copy of the Magna Carta that has been allowed  
to be taken out of Great Britain. It has been placed on loan to the National  
Archives in Washington, DC where it is displayed alongside the Constitution and  
the Bill of Rights.

The Perot family is actively involved in charitable and civic activities to  
help the needy. They have given over $100 million to these causes.




--
	Daniel A. Goldman
	goldman@atlantis.eid.anl.gov
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,ca.politics,ba.politics