Henry Ross Perot Jr. (born November 7, 1958[1]) is an American businessman and real estate developer best known for his development of Alliance, Texas, an inland port near Dallas–Fort Worth, and for making the first circumnavigation of the world in a helicopter, at age 23.
Ross Perot Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Perot in 2018 | |
| Born | Henry Ross Perot Jr. November 7, 1958 |
| Education | Vanderbilt University (BA) |
| Spouse | Sarah Perot |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Ross Perot (father) Margot Birmingham Perot (mother) |
Perot chairs multiple companies, including The Perot Group[2] and Hillwood.[3] He is the only son and eldest child of American billionaire businessman and former United States presidential candidate Ross Perot.
Early life edit
Perot was born and raised in Dallas, the son of Margot (née Birmingham) and Ross Perot. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas in 1977.[4] After graduating from Vanderbilt University, he served in the United States Air Force for eight and a half years.[5]
Career edit
In 1982, Perot co-piloted the first flight by helicopter around the world.[6] Using a Bell 206 L-1 Long Ranger II, he completed the circumnavigation on September 30, 1982.[7]
Perot chairs The Perot Group, which manages the Perot family's various interests, including real estate, oil and gas, and financial investments. He developed the Fort Worth Alliance Airport and is a large real estate developer. Hillwood's residential division is building Harvest, a $1 billion, 1,150-acre development in Northlake and Argyle. Hillwood Communities recently kicked off developments including the 1006.5 acres development Pomona in Manvel and the 787-acre Union Park in Little Elm.[8]
From 2002 to 2003, Perot chaired the Texas Governor's Task Force for Economic Growth.[9] In March 2007, presidential candidate Mitt Romney, seeking the Republican Party nomination, selected Perot as a member of his Texas finance committee.[10]
Perot was a member of the Board of Directors for Dell Inc. He is a board member of Guide IT.[11] He chairs the United States Air Force Memorial Foundation and co-chairs the EastWest Institute. He also sits on the Board of Trustees of St. Mark's School of Texas, Southern Methodist University, and Vanderbilt University.[9] In 2010 Forbes reported Perot's net worth at $1.5 (~$2.05 billion in 2023) billion.[12] Perot was the 1983 recipient of the Langley Gold Medal from the Smithsonian Institution.[citation needed].
In April 2020, Governor Greg Abbott named Perot to the Strike Force to Open Texas, a group "tasked with finding safe and effective ways to slowly reopen the state" during the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]
Dallas Mavericks ownership edit
Perot purchased the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team from original owner Don Carter in March 1996.[14][15] During his four-year tenure, the Mavericks made no more progress on the court than they had in Carter's final seasons, and nowhere near what they did under his successor, Mark Cuban. It was said that he was a basketball novice, or uninterested in the sport,[16] and was using his position as team owner to front his projects, most notably Victory Park, which was anchored by the American Airlines Center, which opened in 2001. He sold the team to Cuban in January 2000 and the franchise did not have a losing record in any of the next 15 seasons, winning two Western Conference championships and the 2011 NBA championship.
In May 2010, Perot, who retained 5% ownership, sued Cuban, alleging the franchise was insolvent or in imminent danger of insolvency. In June 2010, Cuban responded in a court filing maintaining Perot was wrongly seeking money to offset $100 million (~$136 million in 2023) in losses on the Victory Park real estate development. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2011, due in part to Cuban asserting proper management of the team due to its recent victory in the 2011 NBA Finals.[17] In 2014, the 5th Circuit Court affirmed that decision on appeal. After his initial defeat, Perot attempted to prevent Mavericks fans from using the parking lots he controlled near the American Airlines Center. Perot retains a minority stake in the team, as does Carter's estate.
Major League Cricket ownership edit
In 2023, it was announced that Perot was one of the owners of Major League Cricket team Texas Super Kings. He and Anurag Jain, partner with Perot Jain and chairman of Access Healthcare, were among the investors in a Series A funding round that will help MLC build facilities across the country.
Political activity edit
Perot contributed $660,000 to Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign.[18]
During the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries, Perot endorsed former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley. Perot and Harlan Crow worked together to raise money in Texas for the Haley campaign.[19]
Honors edit
- In 1982, President Ronald Reagan presented Perot with the Gold Medal Award for Extraordinary Service.
- In 1983, Perot received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[20]
- In 2007, Perot received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship.
- In 2007, Perot received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.
- In 2008, Perot and his father, H. Ross Perot, jointly received the H. Neil Mallon Award presented by the World Affairs Council - Dallas/Fort Worth.[21]
- In 2012, Perot was inducted into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor.[22]
- In 2019, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) gave Perot its 2019 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award.[23]
- In 2022, the National Eagle Scout Association awarded him the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Texas Births, 1926-1995, Henry Ross Perot Jr.
- ^ "Our Team". www.perot.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "Ross Perot Jr". www.hillwood.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "St. Mark's School of Texas | Board of Trustees". www.smtexas.org. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
- ^ "Shadow box". airforce.togetherweserved.com. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
- ^ "Speed around the world. Eastbound. Class E-1d (Helicopters: take off weight 1750 to 3000 kg) Archived 2016-04-23 at the Wayback Machine". Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Note search under E-1 Helicopters and "Speed over a recognised course". Accessed: 21 September 2014.
- ^ "With a Little Help from Dad, a Texas Heir Circumnavigates the Globe by Helicopter : People.com". www.people.com. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
- ^ "The Year's Best Real Estate Projects – D Magazine". 25 September 2015.
- ^ a b "H. Ross Perot Jr.: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek". 25 May 2023.[dead link]
- ^ "Governor Mitt Romney Announces Texas Statewide Finance Committee" (Press release). MittRomney.com. March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-04-18. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ "Board | About GuideIT". GuideIT. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
- ^ "Forbes Profile". Forbes. June 25, 2018.
- ^ "These are the experts, leaders working with Gov. Abbott's strike force to reopen Texas". khou.com. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
- ^ Mark Cuban: Plane gives us a 'competitive advantage'; Perot Jr. is a 'joke'
- ^ "Timeline: It was 15 years ago that Mark Cuban bought the Mavericks".
- ^ "Perot sells Mavs to Internet mogul - Amarillo.com - Amarillo Globe-News". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
- ^ Jeff Caplan (November 4, 2011). "Judge denies suit against Mark Cuban". ESPN.
- ^ "Here Are The Billionaires Who Donated To Donald Trump's 2020 Presidential Campaign". Forbes. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Harlan Crow Among Dallas Billionaires Hosting Nikki Haley Dinner". news.bgov.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "Past Mallon Recipients - World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth". www.dfwworld.org. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
- ^ "2012 — Texas A&M Transportation Institute". tti.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
- ^ "2019 — AviationPros". www.aviationpros.com. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-11.