Ross Perot

Ross Perot

Former presidential candidate Ross Perot dies at 89. Ross Perot, the billionaire tycoon who mounted two unsuccessful third-party presidential campaigns in the 1990s, died Tuesday, family spokesman James Fuller confirmed to CNN. He was 89.

A billionaire by his mid-50s after he sold a controlling interest in the data processing business he founded, Electronic Data Systems Corporation, to General Motors for $2.5 billion, Perot mounted one of the most successful third-party presidential candidacies in US history in 1992 when he garnered nearly 19% of the vote. He finished third, behind Bill Clinton and incumbent President George H.W. Bush. Ref. CNN.