This Dallas Morning News article interviews H. Ross Perot, the founder of Electronic Data Systems, the founder and chairman emeritus of Perot Systems Corp., the two-time U.S. presidential candidate, and — depending on your point of view — either the Texas legend or the lengendary Texas quack.
The best book on Mr. Perot is Gerald Posner‘s Citizen Perot (Random House 1996). Although not as good as Posner’s definitive Case Closed (Random House 1994) on the John F. Kennedy assassination, Citizen Perot nevertheless provides a generally balanced of one of the most complex, colorful, crafty figures on the American political and business landscape over the last 25 years of the 20th century.
Perot is fascinating from a business standpoint not only because of the billions he made as a pioneer in data processing and Texas real estate, but also because of the millions he lost in naive and ill-fated ventures. Although often a savvy and skillful business operator, Posner’s book quotes colleagues who describe Perot as as “squirrelly” and “paranoid.” Nevertheless, Perot is not one to allow his critics to gain an advantage, so he made fun of them by dancing in public to Patsy Cline’s famous rendition of Willie’s Nelson’s classic song, Crazy.
In Citizen Perot, Posner does a fine job of delineating Perot’s contradictions. One one hand, Perot can be incredibly generous to employees needing medical help, but he was also known for berating loyal workers viciously. During the 1992 Presidential campaign, he criticized the influence of Washington lobbyists, but he hired the best in the lobbying business to help EDS and Perot Systems secure business deals in Texas, Washington, and internationally. Perot promoted an outsider political image, but he exerted tremendous influence upon past presidents and presidential campaigns. One of the most memorable descriptions of Perot came from Posner’s interview with Ken Riedlinger, a longtime executive of EDS:

“I like Ross. He saved my life a couple of times. But I also hate Ross. Yet I voted for him. And I would probably go back to work for him tomorrow if he asked.”

Other interesting parts of the Perot legacy are his 1979 rescue mission to Iran, his private battles with business and government leaders he considered corrupt, his animosity toward George H.W. Bush, and his paranoid charges of Republican dirty tricks against his daughter during the 1992 campaign. Indeed, Perot’s performance during the 1992 Presidential debates — along with Bill Clinton’s formidable debating skills — made those debates the most entertaining of any since that format was introduced during the 1960 Presidential campaign.
After his second and less successful presidential race in 1996, Perot has all but disappeared from the public scene. He now concentrates on his family, veterans’ causes, and “big picture” business projects. Nevertheless, he remains a consummate storyteller, which makes the DMN interview a good read. Check it out.