Bob J. Perry

Bobby Jack Perry (a.k.a. Bob J. Perry) (born October 30, 1932), is a Houston, Texas homebuilder and major contributor to a number of 527 groups, such as the Swift Vets and POWs for Truth and the Economic Freedom Fund.

Personal life

Perry was born in a one-room house in rural Bosque County, northwest of Waco. He attended Baylor University in Waco, where his father, W.C. Perry, completed a public school teaching career as vice president of student affairs. Perry graduated from Baylor in 1954 with a major in history. [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5844156/ "'Swift Boat' backer is major political financier: Texan has deep pockets for conservative causes"] , "Associated Press", August 27, 2004]

He and his wife, Doylene, have been married since 1961. They have four grown children. Laylan Copelin, [http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=677 "AAS: Texas donor supported swift boat ads: Unassuming home builder getting more notoriety for latest donation than for record amounts in 2002"] , "Austin American-Statesman", August 28, 2004] She is a professor at San Jacinto College.

One of the couple's sons, Will Perry, is CEO of Perry Properties, "founded in Houston in 2000 as a private, real estate brokerage and consulting firm specializing in a variety of real estate services to investors, developers and institutional owners", according to its website. [ [http://www.wcppi.com/about.html Perry Properties website] , accessed September 15, 2006]

Career

Upon graduation, Perry followed in his father's footsteps by teaching high school. In 1968, at 36, he started his homebuilding business in Houston.

Perry's company, Perry Homes, is a construction company that has built developments comparable to those of the company Toll Brothers. In 2003, the privately held company ranked as the nation's 42nd largest home builder with $420 million in revenue.

Political donations

527 groups

In the 2004 election cycle, Perry gave $4.45 million to Swift Vets and POWs for Truth (formerly Swift Boat Veterans for Truth), a 527 group; he was the largest single donor.Paul Kiel, [http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001518.php "Swift Boat Redux: Wealthy GOP Donor Drops $5 Mil for New Group"] , TPMMuckracker.com, September 14, 2006]

In that cycle, Perry also donated $3 million to Progress for America Voter Fund. In all, he donated almost $8.1 million to 527 groups in 2003-2004.

In mid-2006, Perry donated $5,000,000 to found a new 527 group, the Economic Freedom Fund. The $5 million makes the group one of the top ten in the 2006 election cycle. [ [http://www.opensecrets.org/527s/527cmtes.asp 527 Committee Activity: Top 50 Federally Focused Organizations] , opensecrets.com, accessed September 15, 2006] He also appears to be the sole donor to Americans for Honesty on Issues. These groups have primarily paid for negative advertisements targeting Democratic Party candidates in the 2006 United States general election.

Other

Perry contributed $46,000 to George W. Bush’s 1994 and 1998 campaigns for Texas Governor. He was the largest individual contributor to the Texas Republican Party during the 2002 election cycle (calendar 2001 and 2002) giving $905,000. [http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=667&pubid=422 "Bob Perry - The Man Behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth"] , "Texans for Public Justice", accessed September 15, 2006]

Perry gave $165,000 in the 2002 election cycle to Tom DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee (TRMPAC) giving $165,000 in the 2002 election cycle. In October 2002 Perry and his wife contributed $95,000 to DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority political action committee (ARMPAC). [campaignmoney.com] They also contributed $10,000 to DeLay's legal defense fund. [Suzanne Gamboa, Associated Press, May 1, 2006]

In 2006, Perry was the largest political donor in Texas. His donations included nearly $400,000 to the campaign of GOP Governor Rick Perry (no relation).

In March 2007, Perry was listed as a member of Mitt Romney's "Texas Leadership Team", indicating his commitment to contribute to and raise money for Romney's presidential campaign.Chris Cillizza and Matthew Mosk, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/16/AR2007031601987.html?nav=rss_politics "'Swift Boat' Figure Joins Romney"] , "Washington Post", March 16, 2007] In December 2007, he donated $200,000 to the Club for Growth for advertisements against Mike Huckabee in the Republican primary. [cite news | title = Huckabee foes open their wallets for attack ads | work = Los Angeles Times | date = January 1, 2008 | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-money1jan01,1,10456.story?coll=la-politics-campaign] In 2008, he donated another $400,000 to the Club for Growth, which used most of it for its campaign against Mark Udall, the Democratic nominee in the 2008 Colorado election for U.S. Senate. [Greg Sargent and Eric Kleefeld, [http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/swift_boat_financier_funding_c.php "Swift Boat Vet Financier Dumping Huge Money Into Key Senate Race"] , talkingpointsmemo.com, August 12, 2008]

Memberships

Perry is reportedly a member of the Council for National Policy, joining the CNP Board of Governors in 1982, and serving as vice president of the organization's Executive Committee from 1984-85, as well as being a member of that committee in 1988. He also reportedly was a member of the Board of Directors of the Houston, Texas Chamber of Commerce; on the executive board of the Boy Scouts of America; a former citizen member of the state banking board of Texas; and a member the Heritage Club. [ [http://www.seekgod.ca/cnp.pe-q.htm#perry "The Council for National Policy: Selected Member Biographies"] , seekgod.ca, "an independent Christian research and apologetics ministry", accessed September 15, 2006]

References

Further reading

* [http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/relatedarticles/36402.php "The Quiet Republican: Backer of Anti-Kerry Veterans Groups Eschews the Limelight," Kristen Hays, the Associated Press, August 29, 2004] .
* [http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2173 "The Public's Right To 'No'," Andrew Wheat, "The Texas Observer", April 7, 2006] . Article on check given by Perry to Bill Ceverha of Texans for a Republican Majority.
* [http://www.texasobserver.org/archives/zsb_060407/images/wheat_graph.gifChart: "Ceverha Patrons Beecherl & Perry Gave $1.9 Million To the Politicians Who Appointed Texas' Ethics Czars," "The Texas Observer", April 7, 2006] . Shows donations by Bob Perry and Louis A. Beecherl Jr.

External links

* [http://www.perryhomes.com/ Website for the Perry Homes company]