Perot << puh ROH, >> Ross (1930-2019), was an American businessman who became a candidate for president of the United States in 1992 and 1996. He ran as an independent in 1992 and as the nominee of the Reform Party in 1996. A billionaire, Perot gained widespread support even though he had little political experience.
Many people supported Perot’s candidacies for president because they considered him a political “outsider” with no commitments to powerful interest groups. Some voters thought Perot’s business background would make him an effective President.
In February 1992, Perot had promised to run for president if his name were placed on ballots in all 50 states before the November 1992 election. But in July, he announced that he would not seek the presidency, stating he did not believe he could win enough votes to be elected. Nevertheless, campaign workers later succeeded in putting his name on all the states’ ballots. Then, in October, Perot announced his candidacy for the presidency. Perot chose as his running mate James B. Stockdale, a retired United States Navy vice admiral. Perot received about a fifth of the popular vote in the election, which was won by the Democratic candidate, Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas.
In 1996, Perot became the presidential nominee of the Reform Party, which he had founded. He chose economist Pat Choate as his running mate. Perot finished third in the election, which was won by President Clinton, the Democratic candidate. Senator Robert J. Dole of Kansas, who was the Republican nominee, was the runner-up.
Perot was born on June 27, 1930, in Texarkana, Texas. He was named Henry Ray Perot at birth, but he and his parents changed his name to Henry Ross Perot when he was 12 years old. In 1953, Perot graduated from the United States Naval Academy . He served in the U.S. Navy from 1953 until 1957.
Perot’s career in business began in 1957, when he became a computer salesman for International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). He left IBM in 1962 and founded Electronic Data Systems (EDS), a company that provided computer services. EDS made huge profits, and Perot became a billionaire.
In 1984, the General Motors Corporation (now the General Motors Company) bought EDS from Perot, and he became a member of General Motors’ board of directors. Perot left General Motors in 1986. He founded another computer services company, Perot Systems, in 1988. Perot died on July 9, 2019.
