William Oberndorf
William Oberndorf | |
---|---|
Born | William Ernst Oberndorf |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater |
Williams College Stanford Business School |
Occupation | Hedge fund manager |
William Ernst Oberndorf is an American businessman and conservative political donor.
Career
Oberndorf graduated from Williams College in 1975 and received an MBA from Stanford Business School in 1978.[1] Oberndorf was inspired to become an investor by Warren Buffett.[2] In 1989, Oberndorf founded the investment firm SPO Partners.[3] Oberndorf was a major investor in Voyager, which created a literacy curriculum that was implemented by Florida Governor Jeb Bush.[4]
Oberndorf has served on the boards of numerous companies, including Aggregates USA, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Equity Funds, Plum Creek Timber, Voyager Learning Company, Taft Broadcasting, and Wometco Cable Television Corporation.[5]
Other activities
Oberndorf is a major donor to the California Republican Party, and donated over $1 million to the party and its candidates between 2001 and 2011.[6] Oberndorf was a prominent supporter of California Proposition 32.[7] Oberndorf is a strong supporter of education privatization, and has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Foundation for Excellence in Education.[4]
Oberndorf was a major backer of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012, but played a major role in discouraging Romney from running for a third time in 2016.[8] In 2015, Oberndorf co-hosted two fundraisers for Jeb Bush.[9]
On October 12, 2016, The Guardian reported William Oberndorf "donated $49,999 to a divisive ballot measure intended to clear San Francisco’s streets of homeless encampments, according to campaign filings."[10]
References
- ↑ "William Ernst Oberndorf". Bloomberg Business. Bloomberg. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ↑ Lowenstein, Roger (24 July 2013). Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist. Random House. p. 275. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ↑ Lattman, Peter (28 September 2010). "Bill Patterson, Investor and Philanthropist, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- 1 2 Stokols, Eli (18 September 2015). "Jeb Bush's rush through the revolving door". Politico. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ↑ "William E. Oberndorf Joins Calpine's Board of Directors". Businesswire. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ↑ Halstead, Richard (1 November 2012). "Mill Valley hedge fund managers spend big to promote anti-union initiative and defeat tax measure". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ↑ Harmon, Steven (9 October 2012). "Who's who of rich and powerful behind Proposition 32". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ↑ Parker, Ashley; Martin, Jonathan (30 January 2015). "Support Waning, Romney Decides Against 2016 Bid". New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ↑ Richman, Josh (2 April 2015). "Jeb Bush visits Bay Area on super PAC fundraising sweep". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ↑ Wong, Julia. "Wealthy San Francisco tech investors bankroll bid to ban homeless camps".