Ross Perot - 1992, Election & Quotes

Who Was Ross Perot?

Ross Perot is best known as one of the most successful third-party presidential candidates in American history. From 1957 to 1962, Perot worked for IBM. He then formed his own company, Electronic Data Systems, which he sold to General Motors in 1984 for $2.5 billion. In 1992, Perot ran as an independent candidate for the U.S. presidency, winning nearly 19 percent of the popular vote. He founded the Reform Party in 1995 and ran for president again in 1996, though his candidacy didn't garner as much support as before. Perot also authored multiple books, including Ross Perot: My Life & the Principles for Success and United We Stand. 

Early Life

Born in Texarkana, Texas, on June 27, 1930, Ross Perot became one of the country's leading businessmen and later a political force to be reckoned with. He got some of his charm and business acumen from his father, Gabriel Ross Perot, who ran a cotton wholesaling company and had other ventures. Perot was the couple's third child, though his older brother, Gabriel Ross Perot Jr., died as a toddler. He also had an older sister named Bette.

Originally named Henry Ray Perot, he changed his name to Henry Ross Perot in his early teens. Perot was close to his father, and their trips to cattle auctions served as lessons in salesmanship. According to Ken Gross' Ross Perot: The Man Behind the Myth, he started out buying and selling saddles and other equipment and, later, animals themselves. "I was what they called a day trader," Perot once said. "You'd buy it in the morning and sell it in the afternoon and make a few dollars' profit if you were lucky." Perot also worked as a newspaper delivery boy.

In 1949, Perot enrolled at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. There he thrived, serving as class president in both his junior and senior years. During this time, Perot met his wife, Margot. The pair married in 1956 and eventually had five children together.