Jump to content

Meg Whitman: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
DarknessShines2 (talk | contribs)
11,264 edits
rv removal of sourced material
Line 61: Line 61:
''[[The Sacramento Bee]]'' reported that Whitman voted infrequently, after reviewing her voting records in California.<ref>[http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2205364.html Meg Whitman's voting record short, sparse] Andrew McIntosh. The Sacramento Bee, September 24, 2009.</ref><ref name="sac_bee_2">[http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2238891.html Whitman registered to vote in San Francisco, Santa Clara County, records show] Andrew McIntosh. The Sacramento Bee, October 8, 2009.</ref> Records uncovered by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt countered the claims of the [[Sacramento Bee]] and resulted in the infamous interview with editor Amy Chance.<ref>{{cite news|author=Hewitt, Hugh|title=Fun With "Journalists": Sacramento Bee Edition|date=October 10, 2009|publisher=The Hugh Hewitt Show|url=http://www.hughhewitt.com/blog/g/47e304a6-47c5-446f-b636-adac7ea09730|accessdate=2009=11-20}}</ref> Whitman has described her voting record as "atrocious," apologized,<ref name="sac_bee_2"/> and states that she is happy to discuss the matter.<ref name=Cillizza200910>{{cite news|author=Cillizza, Chris|title=CA-Gov: Whitman Defends Handling of Vote Story|date=October 10, 2009|publisher=The Washington Post|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/ca-gov-whitman-defends-handlin.html|accessdate=2009=10-10}}</ref>
''[[The Sacramento Bee]]'' reported that Whitman voted infrequently, after reviewing her voting records in California.<ref>[http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2205364.html Meg Whitman's voting record short, sparse] Andrew McIntosh. The Sacramento Bee, September 24, 2009.</ref><ref name="sac_bee_2">[http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2238891.html Whitman registered to vote in San Francisco, Santa Clara County, records show] Andrew McIntosh. The Sacramento Bee, October 8, 2009.</ref> Records uncovered by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt countered the claims of the [[Sacramento Bee]] and resulted in the infamous interview with editor Amy Chance.<ref>{{cite news|author=Hewitt, Hugh|title=Fun With "Journalists": Sacramento Bee Edition|date=October 10, 2009|publisher=The Hugh Hewitt Show|url=http://www.hughhewitt.com/blog/g/47e304a6-47c5-446f-b636-adac7ea09730|accessdate=2009=11-20}}</ref> Whitman has described her voting record as "atrocious," apologized,<ref name="sac_bee_2"/> and states that she is happy to discuss the matter.<ref name=Cillizza200910>{{cite news|author=Cillizza, Chris|title=CA-Gov: Whitman Defends Handling of Vote Story|date=October 10, 2009|publisher=The Washington Post|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/ca-gov-whitman-defends-handlin.html|accessdate=2009=10-10}}</ref>


Whitman supported California's [[California Proposition 8 (2008)|Proposition 8]] in 2008, which reversed the [[In re Marriage Cases]] of 2008 which granted homosexual couples the right to marry in California, but she said that the same-sex marriages that took place before the ban should be recognized, and that gay and lesbian couples should be able to adopt children.<ref name=Finnegan>{{cite news|author=Finnegan, Michael|title=GOP gubernatorial candidate Whitman outlines stands|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-whitman11-2009feb11,0,5416436.story|date=February 11, 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|publisher=Tribune Company|accessdate=2009-02-22}}</ref> Whitman is a supporter of [[civil unions]].<ref name=Finnegan /> Whitman voted in favor of [[California Proposition 4 (2008)|California Proposition 4]], an initiative that requires minors to notify a parent prior to requesting an abortion, except in certain cases.<ref>{{cite news|author=Marinucci, Carla|title=Meg Whitman makes case on how she's different|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/12/BACU15SUDJ.DTL|date=February 13, 2009|work=San Francisco Chronicle|publisher=Hearst|accessdate=2009-02-22}}</ref>
Whitman supported California's [[California Proposition 8 (2008)|Proposition 8]] in 2008, which reversed the [[In re Marriage Cases]] of 2008 which granted homosexual couples the right to marry in California, but she said that the same-sex marriages that took place before the ban should be recognized, and that gay and lesbian couples should be able to adopt children.<ref name=Finnegan>{{cite news|author=Finnegan, Michael|title=GOP gubernatorial candidate Whitman outlines stands|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-whitman11-2009feb11,0,5416436.story|date=February 11, 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|publisher=Tribune Company|accessdate=2009-02-22}}</ref> Whitman is a supporter of [[civil unions]].<ref name=Finnegan /> Whitman voted in favor of [[California Proposition 4 (2008)|California Proposition 4]], an initiative that requires minors to notify a parent prior to requesting an abortion, except in certain cases.<ref>{{cite news|author=Marinucci, Carla|title=Meg Whitman makes case on how she's different|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/12/BACU15SUDJ.DTL|date=February 13, 2009|work=San Francisco Chronicle|publisher=Hearst|accessdate=2009-02-22}}</ref> Gubernatorial candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party, [[Stewart Alexander]], stated, in an article titled, 'Meg Whitman's Position on Immigration is Racist,' that Whitman's approach to illegal immigration will unfairly target millions of Mexican-American families and "will fuel discrimination." Alexander supports allowing amnesty for illegal immigrants with full political, social and economic rights.<ref>{{cite news|author=Alexander, Stuart|title=Meg Whitman's Position on Immigration is Racist|url=http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/Candidate-Stewart-Alexander--Meg-Whitman-s-Position-on-Immigration-is-Racist/200555|date=February 15, 2010|publisher=Afro Articles|accessdate=2010-04-03}}</ref>


Whitman's campaign is largely self-funded. As of February 2010, the billionaire has put $39 million of her own money into the race. Figures for 2009 show that 20% of her contributions, about $2.2 million, came from out-of-state contributors. The biggest donations were from the financial services and legal industries among others who collectively gave Whitman more than $400,000, according to an Associated Press review of campaign reports.<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/03/financial/f110010S60.DTL</ref>
Whitman's campaign is largely self-funded. As of February 2010, the billionaire has put $39 million of her own money into the race. Figures for 2009 show that 20% of her contributions, about $2.2 million, came from out-of-state contributors. The biggest donations were from the financial services and legal industries among others who collectively gave Whitman more than $400,000, according to an Associated Press review of campaign reports.<ref>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/03/financial/f110010S60.DTL</ref>

Revision as of 18:53, 5 April 2010

Meg Whitman
File:Mm whitman tech 405.jpg
Born
Margaret Cushing Whitman

(1956-08-04) August 4, 1956 (age 67)
Long Island, New York, U.S.
Alma materPrinceton University,
Harvard Business School
Occupation(s)Former President and CEO, eBay
Political partyRepublican
SpouseGriffith Rutherford Harsh IV
Children2

Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman (born August 4, 1956) was President and Chief Executive Officer of eBay from March 1998 to March 2008. She is a Republican[1] candidate for Governor of California in the November 2010 election.

Harvard Business Review named Whitman the 8th best performing CEO of the past decade[2] and the Financial Times named her one of the 50 faces that shaped the decade. [3]

Background and education

Whitman was born on Long Island, New York, the daughter of Hendricks Hallett Whitman and Margaret (Goodhue) Whitman.[4][5] Whitman attended a public high school, Cold Spring Harbor High School in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. She had wanted to be a doctor so she studied physics and mathematics at Princeton University. However, after spending a summer selling advertisements in a magazine, she switched to studying economics[6], earning a BA with honors. She then obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1979.[7] Whitman is married to Griffith Harsh IV, a neurosurgeon at Stanford University Medical Center.[8] They have two sons.[8] Whitman has lived in Atherton, California since March 1998.[9]

Career

She began her career in 1979 as a brand manager[10] at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, before moving on to work as a consultant at Bain & Company's San Francisco office, where she worked her way through the ranks to achieve a senior Vice President position.

In 1989 she became vice president of strategic planning at The Walt Disney Company and in 1991 she joined Stride Rite Corporation before becoming president and CEO of Florists' Transworld Delivery in 1995.[11]

In January 1997, Ms. Whitman joined Hasbro's Playskool Division as a General Manager, overseeing global management and marketing of two of the world's best-known children's brands, Playskool and Mr. Potato Head.

Whitman joined eBay in March 1998, when it had 30 employees[12] and revenues of approximately $4 million; she grew the company to approximately 15,000 employees and $8 billion in annual revenue by 2008.[13]

Fortune Magazine repeatedly named her one of the top 5 most powerful women for her success at eBay.[14]

Whitman resigned as CEO of eBay in November 2007, but remained on the Board and as an Advisor to new CEO John Donahoe until late 2008. Ms. Whitman was inducted into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2008. "I've said for some time that 10 years is roughly the right time to stay at the helm at a company like ours," adding that "it's time for new leadership, a new perspective and a new vision." she said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.[15]

Whitman also served on the board of directors of the eBay Foundation, Procter & Gamble, and DreamWorks SKG until early 2009.[7][16] She was appointed to the board of Goldman Sachs in October, 2001 and then resigned in December 2002, amidst controversy that she allegedly had received shares in several public offerings managed by Goldman Sachs.[17][18][19] Whitman earned approximately $1.78 million resulting from a practice known as spinning (IPO) whereby executives who did business with Goldman Sachs could reap profits by getting early deals before the public on hot IPOs offered by the bank.[20]

Political Involvement

At the 2008 Republican National Convention, Whitman gave a speech about what John McCain would do in his first one hundred days in office if elected.

Whitman was a supporter of former Bain & Company CEO and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign[21][22] in 2008 and was on his "National Finance Team."[23] She was also listed as Finance co-chair of Romney's exploratory committee.[24] However, after Romney stepped out of the race, and endorsed McCain, Whitman joined John McCain's presidential campaign as a national co-chair.[25]

McCain mentioned Whitman as a possible Secretary of the Treasury during the second presidential debate in 2008.[26]

Whitman has made monetary donations to various candidates and PACs. While these have gone to both Republicans and Democrats, the donations are weighted to Republicans.[27] Though Whitman has contributed to a few Democrats, including Senator Barbara Boxer; donating $4,000 to her campaign and serving on the "Friends of Boxer" committee in 2004, she donated more than $225,000.00 during the same period to Republicans, eBay’s PAC and to Americans for a Republican Majority, the PAC of former Rep. Tom DeLay.[28][29]

Whitman supports the Second Amendment's right to bear arms. Whitman has stated, "I believe current gun laws need to be enforced but we do not need any new restrictions on gun owners." [30]

2010 Campaign for California Governor

Main article: California gubernatorial election, 2010

On September 22, 2009, Whitman announced she would run for governor of California in the 2010 election.[31] Her candidacy has been endorsed by high-profile Republicans including Mitt Romney, John McCain, and the former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.[32] If elected, Whitman would be the first female governor of California.

Whitman is widely considered the GOP front-runner and is competitive in a likely race against Jerry Brown.[33][34][35]

Whitman has committed to only three major areas in her campaign: job creation, reduced state government spending, and reform of the state's K-12 educational system. She has explained that she believes it is best to start only a few things and finish them, instead of starting a lot of things and not finish them. [36]

Whitman has pledged not to raise taxes and signed the Americans for Tax Reform's "No New Taxes Pledge" on the day she announced her candidacy for governor. She also proposes lowering business taxes and making California a more business-friendly environment, stating that California is losing jobs not to other countries but to neighboring states with lower tax rates - Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon.[37]

For water issues, Whitman has opposed a federal judge ruling and supports turning on water for thousands of Central Valley farmers.[38] She said if elected, on her first day[39] she would suspend AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, to study potential economic implications.[40] At the state GOP Convention in March, Whitman described California Republican Governor Schwarzenegger's climate change bill as a "job-killer."[41]

The Sacramento Bee reported that Whitman voted infrequently, after reviewing her voting records in California.[42][43] Records uncovered by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt countered the claims of the Sacramento Bee and resulted in the infamous interview with editor Amy Chance.[44] Whitman has described her voting record as "atrocious," apologized,[43] and states that she is happy to discuss the matter.[45]

Whitman supported California's Proposition 8 in 2008, which reversed the In re Marriage Cases of 2008 which granted homosexual couples the right to marry in California, but she said that the same-sex marriages that took place before the ban should be recognized, and that gay and lesbian couples should be able to adopt children.[46] Whitman is a supporter of civil unions.[46] Whitman voted in favor of California Proposition 4, an initiative that requires minors to notify a parent prior to requesting an abortion, except in certain cases.[47] Gubernatorial candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party, Stewart Alexander, stated, in an article titled, 'Meg Whitman's Position on Immigration is Racist,' that Whitman's approach to illegal immigration will unfairly target millions of Mexican-American families and "will fuel discrimination." Alexander supports allowing amnesty for illegal immigrants with full political, social and economic rights.[48]

Whitman's campaign is largely self-funded. As of February 2010, the billionaire has put $39 million of her own money into the race. Figures for 2009 show that 20% of her contributions, about $2.2 million, came from out-of-state contributors. The biggest donations were from the financial services and legal industries among others who collectively gave Whitman more than $400,000, according to an Associated Press review of campaign reports.[49]

References

  1. ^ Meg Whitman Declares for California Governor Jesse McKinley. The New York Times, Monday, December 14, 2009.
  2. ^ "The 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World". Harvard Business Review. January, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Fifty Faces That Shaped The Decade". The Financial Times. December 16, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  4. ^ Meg Whitman to Wed June 7 - Free Preview - The New York Times
  5. ^ "Hendricks H. Whitman, Executive, 70". New York Times. February 23, 1991. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  6. ^ page 55, The eBay Phenomenon by Elen Lewis publ 2008 by Marshall Cavendish books
  7. ^ a b Meg Whitman Business Biography
  8. ^ a b "Meet Meg Whitman". "Meg Whitman for Governor".
  9. ^ "Meg Whitman's House". Virtual Globetrotting. 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  10. ^ page 36, The eBay Phenomenon by Elen Lewis publ 2008 by Marshall Cavendish books
  11. ^ page 56, The eBay Phenomenon by Elen Lewis publ 2008 by Marshall Cavendish books
  12. ^ Thomas, Owen (October 8, 2009). "eBay founder factchecks John McCain". Valleywag. Gawker Media. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  13. ^ Santa Maria Times. Meg Whitman right for job, ‎Dec 9, 2009‎
  14. ^ "The Power 50". Fortune Magazine.
  15. ^ Verne Kopytoff (January 24, 2008). San Francisco Chronicle. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "title:Whitman quits eBay CEO post as of March 31" ignored (help)
  16. ^ Lifsher, Marc (January 6, 2009). "Ex-EBay chief Meg Whitman quits board seats". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  17. ^ Bain & Company (October 1, 2001). "Meg Whitman joins Goldman Sachs' Board of Directors". Bain & Company.
  18. ^ Kane, Margaret (December 20, 2002). "Whitman resigns from Goldman Sachs board". cnet.com.
  19. ^ McIntosh, Andrew (May 24, 2009). "Whitman's IPO stock deals have critics raising ethics issues". Sacramento Bee.
  20. ^ West, Jackson (July 15, 2009). "Dirty Dotcom Deals May Doom Whitman Campaign". nbcbayarea.com.
  21. ^ Governor Mitt Romney Announces First Group of National Finance Co-Chairs
  22. ^ MTP transcript for Oct. 21, 2007 - Meet the Press, online at MSNBC - MSNBC.com
  23. ^ Romney Reaps $20 Million to Top G.O.P. Rivals - New York Times
  24. ^ Election Center 2008: Candidates - Election & Politics News from CNN.com
  25. ^ John McCain 2008 - John McCain for President
  26. ^ Reuters (2008). McCain, Obama discuss possible Treasury secretary picks. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  27. ^ Meg Whitman at newsmeat.com
  28. ^ Washingtonindependent.com
  29. ^ San Francisco Chroncile
  30. ^ [1]
  31. ^ Finnegan, Michael (February 10, 2009). "Meg Whitman, EBay's former CEO, joins California governor's race". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009=10-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. ^ Secretary Rice endorsement
  33. ^ http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34559.html
  34. ^ [2], CPPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government, Public Policy Institute of California. ‎Dec 17, 2009‎
  35. ^ http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=927
  36. ^ McLaughlin, Ken (November 16, 2009‎). "Campbell takes Silicon Valley in new San Jose State poll". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved December 26, 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ [3], Meg Whitman Talks Tough And Pledges "No New Taxes": A Conversation With the Woman Who Would Be Governor, Hugh Hewitt. ‎September 24, 2009‎
  38. ^ [4], Meg Whitman: Let the water flow, Fresno Bee. June 12, 2009‎
  39. ^ Gardner, Michael (October 5, 2009). "Emissions initiative in Whitman's cross hairs". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  40. ^ "Whitman says she'd suspend 'green' initiative". San Diego Union Tribune. September 24, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  41. ^ Marinucci, Carla & Garofoli, Joe"Lots of tough talk at state GOP convention". San Francisco Chronicle. Sunday, March 14, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ Meg Whitman's voting record short, sparse Andrew McIntosh. The Sacramento Bee, September 24, 2009.
  43. ^ a b Whitman registered to vote in San Francisco, Santa Clara County, records show Andrew McIntosh. The Sacramento Bee, October 8, 2009.
  44. ^ Hewitt, Hugh (October 10, 2009). "Fun With "Journalists": Sacramento Bee Edition". The Hugh Hewitt Show. Retrieved 2009=11-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  45. ^ Cillizza, Chris (October 10, 2009). "CA-Gov: Whitman Defends Handling of Vote Story". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009=10-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  46. ^ a b Finnegan, Michael (February 11, 2009). "GOP gubernatorial candidate Whitman outlines stands". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  47. ^ Marinucci, Carla (February 13, 2009). "Meg Whitman makes case on how she's different". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
  48. ^ Alexander, Stuart (February 15, 2010). "Meg Whitman's Position on Immigration is Racist". Afro Articles. Retrieved 2010-04-03.
  49. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/03/financial/f110010S60.DTL

External links

Business positions
Preceded by Chief Executive Officer of eBay
1998 – 2008 		Succeeded by
President of eBay
1998 – 2008
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Meg_Whitman&oldid=354157220"