Thomas A. Roe

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Thomas A. Roe

Thomas Anderson Roe Jr. (1927–2000) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and conservative activist.[1][2]

Early life and education[edit]

Roe was born in 1927 in Greenville, South Carolina.[2] He graduated from Furman University in 1948, and worked as a research assistant in their cancer center, which was sponsored by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation.[1][2] He received a business degree from La Salle Extension University and a certificate in advanced studies from the Brookings Institution Program on Urban Policy.[1]

Career[edit]

In 1961, he inherited the Citizens Lumber Company from his late father, and renamed it Builder Marts of America.[1][2] It became a Forbes 500 company.[2] It was later purchased by Guardian Industries. He started a telecommunications company for long-distance calls, later purchased by MCI Inc.[2] He also served as vice president of American Holdings, a firm with ice cream, refrigerator, and furniture manufacturing interests in the United States, along with land holding and air cargo operations in the Dominican Republic.[1]

Politics[edit]

He served as vice chairman and finance chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, and a member of the Republican National Finance Committee.[2] He was a delegate to the 1964 Republican National Convention, where he supported Barry Goldwater.[2] Later, he became an advisor to Ronald Reagan.[2]

Philanthropy[edit]

He served on the boards of The Heritage Foundation, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the Free Congress Foundation, the Council for National Policy, the International Policy Forum, and the now-defunct National Empowerment Television.[2][3] In 1986, he founded the South Carolina Policy Council, a free-market think tank.[2][4][5] By 1992, the State Policy Network (SPN) was born.[2] The Roe Award, awarded by the State Policy Network, is named for him.[1] He received the Clare Boothe Luce Award from The Heritage Foundation in 1999.[1]

He founded the Roe Foundation.[2][3] Its board includes his wife Shirley Roe (chairman), Edwin Feulner (vice chairman; chairman of the Heritage Foundation), Carl Helstrom (chairman of the SPN), Tracie Sharp (president of the SPN, and Thomas Willcox, his son-in-law.[2] Should the foundation stray from free-market principles, both the Mont Pelerin Society and the Philadelphia Society will sue and act as defendants.[2]

The Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation is named for him.[1][6][7]

He also donated to the South Carolina Medical Association, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, and the Peace Center.[2] His donations to his alma mater, Furman University, led to the construction of The Thomas Anderson Roe Building on its campus, named in his honor.[2][8] He received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Furman University in 1980 and the Order of the Palmetto of the State of South Carolina in 1995.[1]

Personal life[edit]

He was married to Shirley Roe.[2] They attended the Christ Episcopal Church in Greenville, South Carolina.[2] He died in 2000.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "State Policy Network biography". Archived from the original on March 21, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Miller, John J. (May 2007). "Safeguarding a Conservative Donor's Intent: The Roe Foundation at 39" (PDF). Foundation Watch. Capital Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Russ Bellant, The Coors Connection: How Coors Family Philanthropy Undermines Democratic Pluralism, South End Press, 1991, p. 27 [1]
  4. ^ "Who Are We?". The South Carolina Policy Council.
  5. ^ "South Carolina Policy Council Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  6. ^ "The Thomas R. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation". Archived from the original on 2012-12-30. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
  7. ^ Paul A. Djupe, Laura R. Olson, Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics, Infobase Publishing, 2003, p. 199 [2]
  8. ^ "The Thomas Anderson Roe Building at Furman University". Archived from the original on July 27, 2013.
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