Ross Perot dies at age 89

FILE – In this June 1, 1996, file photo, former presidential candidate Ross Perot addresses the first California statewide convention of the Reform Party, a new political party he founded, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles. Perot, the Texas billionaire who twice ran for president, has died, a family spokesperson said Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

Posted: Jul 9, 2019 / 11:11 AM EDT

Updated: Jul 9, 2019 / 11:11 AM EDT

DALLAS (AP) – H. Ross Perot, the colorful, self-made Texas billionaire who twice ran for president, has died.

Family spokesman James Fuller says Perot died early Tuesday. He was 89.

Perot rose from Depression-era poverty to become one of the nation’s richest men as the founder of computer services giant Electronic Data Systems Corp.

In 1992, Perot jumped into the presidential campaign as an independent candidate, challenging President George H.W. Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton.

Perot drew nearly 19% of the vote, the biggest percentage for a third-party hopeful in 80 years. Republicans blamed him for Bush’s defeat.

He had founded EDS in 1962 and sold control of it to General Motors for $2.5 billion in 1984. He later founded another company, Perot Systems.

7/9/2019 10:22:32 AM (GMT -4:00)