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Ross Perot: The Fastest Richest Texan Ever | Fortune

fortune.com · 3,584 words · saved by 1 readers

A young Texan named H. Ross Perot has pulled off perhaps the most spectacular personal coup in the history of American business. Probably no other man ever made so much money so fast. A little more than six years ago, Perot was a disgruntled I.B.M. salesman with a few thousand dollars in the bank and an urge to start his own computer-software business. He did, and now, in the wake of a public stock offering last September, he has a $300-million stake in his company, Electronic Data Systems Corp., based in Dallas. At thirty-eight, Perot, who is chairman and president of the company, already is one of the richest Texans, ranking just behind three oilmen—H. L. Hunt, N. Bunker Hunt, and R. E. Smith. In fact, there may be fewer than a score of individuals in the U.S. richer than Perot. As all this suggests, Perot and his company have been remarkably successful in selling their computer know-how. Electronic Data Systems’ revenues have about doubled every year since 1964, and they are expecte

A young Texan named H. Ross Perot has pulled off perhaps the most spectacular personal coup in the history of American business. Probably no other man ever made so much money so fast. A little more than six years ago, Perot was a disgruntled I.B.M. salesman with a few thousand dollars in the bank and an urge to start his own computer-software business. He did, and now, in the wake of a public stock offering last September, he has a $300-million stake in his company, Electronic Data Systems Corp., based in Dallas. At thirty-eight, Perot, who is chairman and president of the company, already is

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